


IPA and Fibonacci Sequences

by sonatepathetique



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/M, Garcia is really fun to write, I might have a crush on Reid, Older brother Morgan, some descriptions of violence/mildly graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-03-15 18:21:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 23,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3457178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sonatepathetique/pseuds/sonatepathetique
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The BAU can take control of a person's life, but Reid has finally found something other than profiling that makes him happy. Naturally certain members of the team(ahem, Morgan) aren't so certain about the changes in his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Not So Dirty Little Secret

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is my second fanfic. This story is highly Reid centric, partially because he's my favorite character and partially because I think it's high time that the character be treated as an adult and with respect and I'm sick of the shoddy treatment he's been getting of late on the show. I definitely do not have a crush on Reid. Anyway, this is my vision of how Reid's life might progress if he was actually given half a chance. The chapter won't necessarily be in chronological order and I plan to focus on the various established relationships, as well as the ones I've created, but there will be plot as well. I've rated this M since I'm not sure how serious my writing will become in future posts.

“Hey Reid, did you finish the topographical profile?” Morgan set his mug of coffee on his desk, unsurprised that the other agent had beaten him to the office, but slightly confused to find him reclining against his desk, staring at his cell phone. “Reid.”

 

“Hmm?” He looked up as he typed something on the minute keypad and gestured towards his desktop. “Uh, yeah, got it finished this morning. The dump sights turned out to be a lot more diverse than I originally thought.” He set his phone on the desk and picked up the file, handing it to Morgan who flipped it open and quickly scanned the contents.

 

“Each site is completely different…are you sure that these are all the same guy?”   Reid was already nodding before Morgan hadn’t finished talking.

 

“He’s obviously trying to cover his tracks…” Morgan smiled, knowing he was about to be treated to a Reid-rant as he watched the younger man start to explain the various bits of paraphernalia on the white board.

 

“Reid.” Hotch’s stern voice issued from across the room, interrupting Spencer mid-sentence. “I need to speak to you about the profile.” The older man didn’t wait for a response, instead disappearing back inside his office.  Reid gave Morgan a tight lipped smile, retrieving the folder and heading to Hotch’s office. Morgan watched the lanky profiler half jog up the stairs and shook his head in amusement. The sound of Reid’s cell buzzing against his desk, reached Derek’s ear and he leaned over to check the number, remembering the text that had clearly fascinated his friend. He frowned as he read the unknown number and the accompanying initials.

 

“E.B.” He muttered to himself. Before the screen on Reid’s phone dimmed, he scratched the number on a note pad and then headed for JJ’s office. She looked up as he gave a sharp rap on the door, her expression telling him that it had better be important. “JJ, have you noticed Reid acting weird recently?” He asked by way of greeting. JJ’s brows furrowed. “I mean, weirder than normal.”

 

“No.” She answered slowly. “Why, what’s he been doing?” Morgan briefly thought of dropping the subject, but ignored the impulse and forged ahead.

 

“He’s been texting someone named ‘E.B.’.”

 

“And?” JJ sounded vaguely irritated. “Is there some reason that he’s not allowed to text?”

 

“No…you just didn’t see his face. He was completely absorbed with whoever was texting him.” JJ nodded and took a deep breath.

  
“Ok, so he’s texting someone named EB and he finds it intriguing…it’s probably one of his friends from the university. You know how he gets when he starts talking about quantum physics.”

 

“Maybe” Morgan agreed. “But, I thought we could go check with our favorite IT and see if she could work a little magic. See what Dr. Reid’s got goin’ down.” JJ was already shaking her head.

 

“Morgan, that is a clear violation of his privacy. Even if you did know something, which you don’t, we shouldn’t be prying into his affairs.” She flipped open one of the files on her desk, staring at a page with a superior expression. Morgan waited.

 

“Oh, fine.” JJ rolled her eyes and pushed the files to the other side of her desk. Morgan grinned as she turned on her computer and pushed the button to call Garcia.

 

“Hello, Penelope Garcia Extraordinaire, at you service.” Morgan’s smile grew as Garcia’s voice filled the room.

 

“Hey Garcia, it’s Morgan and JJ.”

 

 “What can I do for you on this fine morning?” Morgan leaned closer to the speaker.

 

“Hey Baby Girl, we need you to trace a number.” He read it out and the faint clicking of keys could be heard almost immediately.

 

“Ok, the number you gave me is registered to one Erica Boisenhower. Oh, she looks sweet, please tell me she’s not involved in the killing and the stabbing and the—”

 

“Whoa, calm down Penelope.” Morgan interrupted before Garcia could descend into a rant. “I don’t think she’s involved in the case. However, Reid’s been in contact with her so…” He trailed off, hoping that Garcia would catch his drift.

 

“And you’re hoping I can dig up a little something with my super, duper spidey senses? No problemo, snooping is my forte.” Morgan chuckled at her ecstatic tone. “Ok, Erica Boisenhower graduated from Purdue University in 2011 and since then she has been working at a local school as a Speech Pathologist.” JJ and Morgan shared a confused look. “Why does her name sound so familiar…oh, ok…that’s interesting.”

 

“Penelope,” JJ called in a slightly frustrated voice. “What did you find?”

 

“So remember that case back about four months ago with girl who had Down syndrome?”

 

“Uh, sure…sweet kid. What does this have to do with Erica Boisenhower?”

 

“Well, my bronze stallion,” Morgan shook his head at the nickname. “Remember how Reid contacted the girl’s Speech Pathologist and she ended up being really helpful?’ There was a brief silence as JJ and Morgan exchanged blank looks. “Seriously, you guys are profilers and you don’t remember a cute five foot nothing brunette?”

 

“I don’t think we ever met her.” Morgan said defensively, making Garcia mutter something about ‘amateurs’ and the furious clicking of her keyboard filtered over the speaker once more.

 

“I just sent you guys a picture of her. Maybe that will jog your collective memories.” JJ’s screen flickered to life, replaced with a picture of a smiling young woman with brown hair. The two profilers stared at the screen for several moments.

 

“Garcia, are you sure you got the right number?” Morgan squinted at the photo, a look of distaste crossing his features.

 

 “Sweetie, do you know who you’re talking to? The number you gave me belongs to this woman.” Morgan peered at the photo again.

 

“Maybe he was contacting her for professional reasons?” He mused. JJ smacked his arm.

 

“Thank you JJ.” Garcia’s place appeared on the screen, replacing Erica’s photo. “I’m guessing that Reid is contacting her for purposes unrelated to disordered speech, although I may be wrong and in fact he’d like to strengthen the quality of his r’s, and instead is pursuing her for romantic means.” Morgan snorted.

 

“You’re jumping to conclusions Penelope.”

 

 “What exactly would you object to if Dr. Reid is indeed dating this lovely creature?” Garcia’s face suddenly filled half of JJ’s computer screen and her expression was so severe that she may as well have been in the room. “Have I mentioned that he’s talked with her for approximately 40 hours in the last three weeks, I’d say that’s quite the commitment?”  

 

“Well…” Morgan seemed to be having difficulty finding words. “She’s just not his usual type, you know. He usually goes for the slightly unusual, brainy type or the longshot, like Lila…and this Erica’s just…normal.” He perused the photo once more, a growing frown marring his features. Garcia sighed and JJ shook her head.

 

“She’s perfect for Reid, he’s shy, she’s shy. She likes reading, he likes reading. Seriously, she’s read like a 1,000 books.”

 

“Wait how do you know about her reading habits?” JJ asked suspiciously.

 

“Because…she’s a Speech Pathologist and it kinda comes with the territory?” Morgan and JJ rolled their eyes at her thinly concealed lie. “Ooh, and based upon her Facebook page, she has a wicked sense of humor and is quite the sarcastic little fireball.”

 

“Garcia, you hacked her Facebook?” JJ groaned.

 

“Oh, hush you had me hack her phone…ooh, she’s a serious Harry Potter fan but she also read Pride and Prejudice. So geeky yet romantic.” Morgan was still sulking over the picture.

 

“How old did you say she was?”

 

“She’s 25.”

 

“She looks about 16.” JJ smacked him again.

 

“Ok, you shall no longer have the pleasure of my delightful presence, because you Derek Morgan are being a jerk.” She punched a button and the computer screen went blank.

 

“Seriously, what is wrong with you? I thought you’d be really happy for Reid.” Morgan shrugged as JJ turned to face him.

 

“He’s been through a lot and I just don’t want him getting hurt again.”

 

“That girl is not a heartbreaker.” Morgan sighed.

 

“JJ, you’re a profiler, you know how deceptive looks can be. What if this girl is playing him or is a-“

 

“First of all, Spencer is a grown man so he can make his own decisions, including ones concerning who he wants to date. Second, on the slight chance that she does have some nefarious plans in mind, it’s still his choice and he can handle it.” JJ gave Morgan a look as he opened his mouth to interrupt. “It is not your place to interfere. I know you want to protect him, we all do, and you think of him as a younger brother, but you need to give him some space. He needs to know you trust him.”

 

“JJ, I do trust him. He obviously doesn’t trust us, or else he wouldn’t be hiding a relationship from us, again.”

 

“Oh, come on, Derek. We’re profilers, we keep secrets. Besides you know he likes to keep his personal life private.” Morgan straightened into his arguing pose.

 

“Well after the way his last relationship went, I’d have thought he’d want to clue us in.”

 

“Derek!” He was in danger of being slapped again. “That was not Spencer’s fault and not every girlfriend he has is going to have a psychotic stalker.”

 

“I’m just saying, he hasn’t had the best luck with women.”

 

“Morgan, he’s 34. He can make his own decisions. Leave him alone.” With a final pointed look in his direction, JJ shifted the pile of folders back to the middle of her desk which Morgan took as his cue to leave.

 


	2. Profilers Never Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The BAU just doesn't understand the phrase, three's a crowd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a pretty short chapter, but I needed to write something unrelated to academia and I just saw the promo for tomorrow's episode.

 Rossi pounded on the door and waited a moment, receiving no response. J fidgeted beside him.

 

“Maybe he got distracted at the library or something.” She said feebly, knowing their minds had both jumped to a worst case scenario in which Reid had been kidnapped or injured. Rossi nodded.

 

“Could be.” He agreed as he pulled something out of his pocket.

 

“Where did you get a key to Spencer’s apartment?” Rossi hummed non-committedly.

 

“Never hurts to be prepared.” The key turned and he twisted the door knob. He inclined his head, indicating that JJ should go first. They entered cautiously, automatically falling into defensive stances. JJ’s hand unconsciously brushed her holster as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and then fell limply to her side as she took in the scene before her. Spencer’s lean body was stretched out on his couch, head partially turned into a pillow. He wore the most content and relaxed expression JJ had ever seen upon his face, most likely due to the much smaller body draped over his own. Rossi handled the situation much better, managing to keep his mouth from falling open. He nodded again, and with a sigh she headed towards the couple who were thankfully completely clothed.

 

It seemed a shame to wake them, she thought as she considered the way Spencer’s arm cradled Erica’s waist. Gathering her will, she firmly grasped his shoulder and gave him a gently shake. His eyes remained closed, his arm tightening slightly around Erica and a quiet sigh escaping his lips. JJ’s cheeks flushed and she felt a keen desire to grab Rossi and tell everyone else that Spencer was sick.

 

“Spencer.” She whispered fiercely. Erica stirred, her hand smoothing up his chest.

 

“Mm, Spencer.” JJ rolled her eyes, keenly aware of Rossi watching from behind, and gave Reid’s shoulder another, more vigorous shake. His eyes opened slowly, a confused expression crossing his features as he stared up at JJ and then his eyes widened in understanding.

 

“They found another body.” It wasn’t a question and JJ nodded grimly. He slowly rose to a sitting position, shifting his arms to cradle Erica’s sleep-filled body. His gaze shifted for a brief moment to Rossi and he nodded in lieu of a greeting before shifting his attention back to the woman in his arms.

 

 “Erica.” He whispered softly, his long fingers trailing down her cheek. JJ saw his cheeks flush faintly and she took a step back, remembering that she was intruding on a highly intimate moment. Her foot caught on something and she bent down to pick it up, her own cheeks burning again as she realized it was Spencer’s tie.

 

“We’ll fill you in on the rest in the car.” She whispered, figuring that if he hadn’t heard her, he’d make it to the BAU eventually and tossed the bit of cloth on the coffee table.

 

“Come on Rossi.” She muttered, grabbing his arm and tugging him towards the door.  They both quietly exited the apartment, JJ glancing back in time to see Reid and Erica share a slow, passionate kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think Reid has some catching up to do in the kissing department. Seriously it's been ten years and only two kisses, one of which happened under very dubious consent. I am determined to resolve this issue.


	3. The Genius's Guide to Dating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The precursor to Spencer and Erica's romantic relationship. Also an example of Reid's stellar romantic prowess. I believe this is what you call fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously this story isn't happening in chronological order, but I will try to indicate where chapters takes place in general. This chapter is set about four or five months before JJ, Morgan, and Garcia find out that Dr. Reid isn't quite so lonely anymore. Also, sorry that I'm a really unreliable updater but I'm a senior in college so please bear with me if you enjoy this story. :)

 

Reid thought about Erica Boisenhower frequently after the Strazinski case was resolved. The day that Lydia Strazinski was reunited with her parents, he watched Erica head towards the BAU exit and felt the intense urge to call her back without any particular reason in mind. His fingers brushed against a bit of cardstock in his pocket, feeling the lightly embossed letters and numbers. He cherished the business card that she had hastily, and in what seemed a last minute thought, offered with a shy smile and a reminder to call if he ever needed assistance again.

 He wanted to call, not because he needed her help but solely for the pleasure of hearing her voice once more. Knowing he was behaving in a highly illogical and uncharacteristic manner, he thought of excuses for why he should contact her. This was the reason he was currently sitting at his desk on a Saturday evening, staring morosely at his cell. The rest of the team had abandoned him several hours ago, heading out to revel in the momentary lull in cases.

Reaching into his pocket, Reid carefully extricated Erica’s card and stared at the phone number he had memorized the moment she handed it to him. Impulsively he snatched up his phone and tapped the number which designated her position in his contact list. His heart pounded loudly in his ears as he listened to the mechanical ringing and he absentmindedly twirled a pencil between his long fingers.

“Hello Erica speaking?” Reid jumped at the sudden sound of Erica’s voice. He realized belatedly that he hadn’t planned what to say in the event that she did answer.

“Uh, hi.” He replied into the growing silence. “This is Dr. Spencer Reid, um, you advised on a case at the BAU a few weeks ago involving one of your clients.” His voice lilted up at the end.

“I remember.” Erica responded in a quiet voice, which held just a hint of surprise. “What can I do for you, Spencer?” Reid closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.

“I…I was really fascinated by your field of work and your skill so I was thinking that maybe we could get together sometime. To you know…discuss things…” His voice trailed off and there was long moment of silence.

“So…you want me to teach you about speech pathology?” Erica asked cautiously.

“Yes, I’m always eager to learn more about the human mind and communication is an inherent part of being human. I’ve studied linguistics but I’ve never really explored disordered speech before.” Spencer spoke quickly, hoping that he didn’t sound overly eager.

“Alright, I suppose I could meet with you for a few hours.” Spencer found himself grinning uncontrollably.

“That would be great, when are you free?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

They met the next day, since Erica rarely scheduled anything on Sundays, at Spencer’s favorite library per his suggestion. He arrived half an hour early and was just about to seclude himself in a corner while he waited for Erica when he spotted a familiar looking figure lurking by the fake potted eucalyptus.

“Erica, hi…you’re early.” He blurted before his brain could find a more appropriate greeting.

“So are you.” She noted, her gaze barely meeting his. Spencer nodded and decided to study his own shoes.

“Uh, yeah, I like to allow for the unexpected. I brought you a coffee.” He offered into the growing silence which Erica didn’t seem in any hurry to end.

“Oh, thank you. That was really sweet.” Erica appeared genuinely touched by the gesture and rewarded him with a smile that left him momentarily speechless.

“Uh…” He replied intelligently. “Um, there’s a seating area in the back that is usually pretty empty so we can talk without bothering anyone.” Erica silently followed him through the rows of books, clutching her coffee in one hand and in the other, what he could now see was an overlarge shoulder bag. As soon as they reached the small enclave, which was indeed blessedly empty, Erica deposited her bag on a nearby table and began removing a sizeable number of books. Spencer sat down in a large, stuffed chair and stashed his own bag to the side, his eyes never leaving the growing stack of books. He gingerly ran his finger along the spine of one that read _Foundations of Aural Rehabilitation: Children, Adults, and Their Family Members_ in bold white letters.

“Ok, so I brought a variety since I realized that you never indicated which area you’re most interested in. Though I specialize in children I also know a fair amount about adults as well. I am most comfortable working with articulation, speech delay, speech disfluency…” Erica glanced up at Spencer, her words faltering and her face flushing a lovely crimson. “Anyway you can take a look.” She gestured feebly towards the textbooks and slid into a chair, her still red face hidden behind her coffee cup.

Spencer stared at the table, forgoing his usual tendency to overthink and grabbed a book at random and slid it in Erica’s direction. For the next two hours, they animatedly discussed _Language Development From Theory to Practice_ and the merits of the tabula rasa theory.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Over the next two months Erica and Spencer slowly became more comfortable with one another; Spencer was less likely to stop himself mid-rant or apologize for something he’d said while Erica no longer blushed every few seconds. That being said, their relationship consisted of clandestine meetings at the library crammed between Spencer’s cases and Erica’s sessions or late nights and the occasional early morning.

For two weeks they had dutifully discussed topics related to speech pathology, maintaining the pretense that began their relationship. It was during the third week, Spencer waiting patiently in their usual spot that Erica came rushing in breathless, and carrying a book under her arm. She dropped the paperback, depicting a boy with glasses onto his knee and took her usual place across the table.

“What’s this?” He asked with a slight frown.

“You said last week that you never read _Harry Potter_. That needs fixing.” Spencer’s mouth fell open at her sudden authoritative tone and he watched as she removed a duplicate book from her bag and carefully flipped open the cover.

“Well, we’ve only got a few hours and since you’ll be reading at normal speed―” Spencer glanced up.

“Normal speed?” He protested, staring at the introduction to the novel with distaste.

“Yes. This is _Harry Potter_. One does not rush such excellence no matter how large his or her IQ may be.” Then with a severe look in Spencer’s direction she lifted her book and disappeared behind the animated cover.

Unexpectedly Spencer enjoyed the book, it was by no means his favorite (he always preferred nonfiction), but he found it entertaining nonetheless. However, he found Erica’s fascination with the fictitious series even more interesting and looked forward to her enthusiastic response each time they met.

Spencer was perfectly content to spend his free time in Erica’s company, reading books about teenaged wizards. Any romantic inclinations he might have been feeling remained firmly closed behind friendly smiles and solely expressed through cups of coffee and carefully chosen books. They might have continued on in this manner indefinitely if a combination of Spencer’s stomach and tendency to speak before he fully contemplated what he was saying had not interfered.

“Hey, are you hungry?” Reid didn’t wait for a reply but continued speaking while he flipped through a book and checked his watch. “There’s a great sushi place just down the street that we could go to. It should open at 11.” It took him a moment to realize that Erica hadn’t answered and he slowly glanced up from his book to see her wearing a panicked expression. Naturally, he began to panic too.

“Of course if you don’t want sushi we could go someplace else or just wait until we get home. Not that I’m suggesting that we should both eat at either my or your place but rather at our separate places of residence―” Erica raised her hand and he clamped his mouth shut.

“Did you just want to have lunch,” Erica kept her head lowered, her fingers aimlessly tracing the embossed letters on her book cover. “Or were you asking me on a date?” Reid ran through all the possible answers he could give and made a split second decision.

“Yes.” He replied quickly. “A date.” He clarified. Beneath his shirt he could feel his heart pounding so hard it was surely visible as he watched Erica slowly lift her head, vulnerability plainly written across her face.

“Okay.” She whispered. Neither of them moved for several long moments as they contemplated the unexpected change in their relationship. Tentatively he lifted his hand from his lap and extended it until it rested in the middle of the table. With the same slow movements Erica slid her hand towards his, deliberately meeting his gaze just as their fingers touched.  

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Daydreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi to those still interested in this story, I apologize for the long delay between chapters. I have been very busy with college and such, but now I should have more time since I'm no longer a student (graduating in less than a week, yay me!) so I hope you will stick with me.
> 
> I also want to clear up some details about the timeline. I originally intended this story to begin somewhere during season ten but decided that I'd rather set it during the end of season ten. As far as the chapters are concerned, I jumped around a bit, but the first takes place about four months into Reid and Erica's relationship, the second, about eight, and the third a few weeks to a month. This current chapter follows within a week or two of the previous chapter and the following chapters should follow that timeline unless otherwise specified. Sorry if that's really confusing, I have my reasons for setting it up this way.
> 
> I do not have a beta at this time, so all mistakes are my own, and if something really bothers you or seems off about the characters or whatnot please let me know. I do spell check and proofread but my eyes always miss something the first thirty times. 
> 
> I should mention that I do not own the characters or show. If I did, I'd be speaking with Mr. Gubler about a return of his season five hair.
> 
> I originally intended this chapter to focus more on Reid and Erica, but my fingers had other plans and decided to introduce focus on the case and other characters a bit more. Blame the fingers. I obviously have little experience with writing about the crime aspect, so those sections may be a little vague. Also, as I mentioned, I really like Reid's season five hair and personality so I'm kind of imagining a hybrid of season 5 and 10 Reid as I write.
> 
> Sorry for this overlong note, enjoy and thank you for comments and kudos.
> 
> EZ

They didn’t discuss the touching, or the subsequent hand holding that followed in the next several weeks. Perhaps the only sign that anything changed in their relationship were the slightly sheepish and bashful looks Spencer and Erica sent one another over their covert dinners. And if his coworkers questioned him about the silly grin that appeared on an increasingly frequent basis amid discussions of mutilated bodies, he was quick to school his expression into something more appropriately somber.

“Hey Reid, you wanna share the good news with the class?” Spencer glanced up, startled by the sudden intrusion into the pleasant memory flitting through his mind. Belatedly, he realized that he’d let his mind wander to Erica again. He just hoped his expression

“Uhhh.” He croaked out as he tried to shake the feel of small fingers brushing his palm from his mind. “Uh, sorry…I think the unsub is purposely changing the dump sites and his MO to confuse us. There was something very deliberate about the staging of the sixth and seventh bodies, more than someone trying to fulfill a fantasy or completed a ritual.” Reid deflected in his usual manner, rambling as quickly as the words entered his mind. His coworkers stared at him for a moment and Hotch raised an eyebrow but said nothing, allowing Spencer his privacy.

“Uh-huh.” Morgan commented skeptically. There was a brief and awkward pause which seemed centered around the resident doctor’s lack of attention.”

“The mutilation was too animalistic for the calculated staging and corresponding burial.” Reid continued as though uninterrupted. “He’s definitely trying to throw us off and I would guess has some idea of our profiling procedures not to mention the fact that he apparently would rather alter his preferred method of killing in order to maintain his anonymity. ”

As Reid finished speaking most of the room seemed to have forgotten his lapse in character, although JJ was still watching him with a knowing glint in her eyes. He dropped his gaze to the open file before him and began scanning it again, despite having memorized it all over two hours ago when he first read it.

“Alright Reid, so we’re looking for someone very intelligent, unpredictable, and willing to adapt.” Hotch said, simultaneously summing up the younger man’s conclusions and agreeing with him. “This means that we need to utilize extreme caution as this case continues. Unless it is an absolute emergency, we work in teams and I want everyone to report in regularly and call if anything seems at all off. Are we clear?” There were unanimous signs of agreement around the table.

“JJ and Morgan, I want you two to get in touch with any relatives from this state and interview them again. See if there’s anything we may have missed, check any connections no matter how small.” The two nodded and began collecting the appropriate files they would need.

“Rossi, Reid. Go meet with the coroners who handled the autopsies. Reid I also want you to review every file we have on this case. I’ll contact the local PD’s and make sure there isn’t anything they forgot to mention or include in the physical evidence.” Hotch turned towards Garcia who pointed a sparkly pen at him as she quickly bobbed her head, blonde curls bouncing magnificently.

“I’ll run all the victims’ credit cards, GPS, scan their computers and phones and what have you. If any of them crossed paths or bought grapes at the same store or shared adjoining seats at a bar or...”

“Thank you, Garcia.” Hotch interrupted her tirade, his voice firm yet kind and his lips twitching suspiciously. The rest of the team gathered their things and made their way for the door.

“Reid.” Spencer glanced up and glanced up from the files he was placing in his shoulder bag and realized that he and JJ were the only two left in the conference room. He sighed, knowing that his earlier behavior wouldn’t go unquestioned.

“Is everything ok?” His friend sounded equally curious and worried. Reid shrugged his thin shoulders.

“I’m fine, JJ.” She didn’t look convinced and took a step closer, resting her palm gently over Reid’s hand.

“You’ve just been acting a little strange and I know you don’t always share things...” She heaved a sighed and unconsciously placed a hand on her belly. “I guess I’m just trying to say that if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m always here and willing to listen.”

“JJ, you have no idea how much I appreciate that, but I’m honestly fine. You guys can stop worrying about me.” Spencer smiled and covered JJ’s much smaller hand with his own and gently squeezed. She laughed softly.

“I guess we could use some work on our subterfuge techniques, huh?” Spencer grinned.

“Oh, don’t be too hard on yourself. I have known you for ten years after all and I am a highly trained profiler.” He joked and JJ rolled her eyes, punching his shoulder lightly with her free hand.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” She said dryly, patting his hand once more before moving towards the door.

“Hey, JJ?” She paused and turned as he tugged lightly on her hand. “Thanks for caring.” He said quietly.

“Of course, Spence. I’ll never stop.” With another smile, Reid offered her his arm as they left the room and several years of unspoken regret behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter made sense. Once I thought of the section with JJ it really made sense to have them discuss their friendship, even if it's rather vague.


	5. Pictures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,
> 
> So I actually am posting two chapters in a row, amazing I know. Hopefully this chapter, which focuses more on Reid and Erica and less on my totally stellar crime related writing, will be a bit more interesting than the previous. This chapter takes place about two months into the relationship. 
> 
> As always, this is un-beta'd. Please feel free to leave any comments or constructive criticism and whatnot.
> 
> Enjoy and thanks for reading.

Spencer sighed as he left the BAU headquarters, waving goodbye to his coworkers before heading to his car. He and Rossi had spent over six hours meeting with the victim’s family members. It was one of his least favorite aspects of being a profiler, which was saying something since they came in contact with serial killers on a regular basis, and this time was even more difficult. Since most of the family members had already spoken with at least one member of the BAU team, random agents from other federal agencies and officers from the local and state law enforcement, another visit was akin to ripping open barely healed wounds. Those who were initially welcoming quickly became uncooperative as they were asked to relive the more distasteful details of the case. The two agents returned to the agency with a few new tidbits that weren’t likely to lead to a breakthrough and an ever increasing sense of frustration.

Afterwards, Spencer spent another three hours meticulously reviewing each file and comparing them to the new statements, an activity he actually enjoyed most of the time. He liked cataloguing the details in his mind and then putting them together like intricate little puzzles or drawing impossible connections between seemingly unrelated pieces of evidence. This time; however, he found absolutely nothing relevant to the case. He did discover that three of the victims secretly wrote fanfiction in their spare time but even that had proved useless. He sighed again.

The only good thing about this case, and he felt selfish for even considering it, was the amount of time he was able to spend with Erica. Since the team was fielding fewer cases than usual in order to better focus on capturing the ‘Working Girl Killer’, as the local media had so eloquently dubbed him, the team was spending an unprecedented amount of time at home. Spencer had slept in his own bed for nine consecutive nights. Admittedly some of those nights started after 2AM and ended a few short hours later. Tonight though the team had been given a rare night off to recuperate and Spencer planned to enjoy an uninterrupted evening with Erica.

***

Forty minutes later he found himself knocking on Erica’s apartment door. It swung open a few moments later and the scent of tomato sauce wafted out.

“Hi.” Spencer winced as his voice creaked and Erica tried to hide a smile.

“Spencer, hi, come in.” He ducked his head as he passed through the low doorway and watched as Erica closed the door. He almost gave her a hug and then remembered at the last moment that she disliked physical contact even more that he did. He would definitely need to warn her about Garcia before they met.

“Uh, I made lasagna.” Erica said, covering the awkward moment and gestured to the living room which was dominated by a dark brown couch. “Just make yourself comfortable…” Reid nodded, his attention unconsciously focused on the subtle swinging of her hips as she turned towards the kitchen. She was wearing a knee length dress that clung to her small and curvy body. Running a hand through his hair, he yanked his gaze away and quietly scanned the room.

This was his first time in Erica’s apartment. It suited her; small yet scattered with subtle pieces of furniture and art that reflected her personality. He wandered over to a small table behind the couch, bending slightly to see the collection of framed pictures that covered the surface. He glanced at the first which featured Erica and a slightly taller woman with nearly blond hair who he surmised was Erica’s sister.

“Ah, I see you found my shrine.” He turned slightly at Erica’s voice still holding one of the pictures.

“Sorry, I, uh, just…” Erica shook her head, her shoulder length hair distracting him slightly as it moved across her shoulders.

“It’s fine. They're meant to be looked at.” Spencer glanced down at the picture, mostly to keep himself from staring at Erica in what he could only assume was a highly unattractive manner. In the photo, Erica was surrounded by three small children; one hanging onto her neck and one in each arm. The picture captured Erica mid-laugh and just as the tiny girl in her arms pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“You’re beautiful.” Spencer said without thinking. “I mean, it’s a beautiful picture.” He glanced at Erica and saw that she was looking slightly embarrassed but mostly pleased.

“Thank you. They’re my sister’s kids, Laura, Jacob, and David.” She pointed to each child in turn.

“And here,” She sidled by Spencer and gestured to the remaining group of photos on the table. “We have the entire Boisenhower clan, Alyssa, my sister, and her husband, and my mom and dad.”  Spencer smiled as she lovingly pointed to each person.

“You do have a wonderful looking family.” Erica gave his hand a brief squeeze and he inhaled deeply before he could lose his nerve. “And I meant what I said before, you are beautiful.” Not meeting his gaze, Erica gently slipped the picture of herself and the children from his hand and carefully placed it on the table.

“We should probably go eat before the food gets cold.” Spencer quietly began to follow her to the dining room, wondering at his sudden need for physical contact.

 

  

 


	6. Just the Sound of Your Voice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone,
> 
> sorry for the long wait. Again. If you would like excuses, mine are as follows: I've been living part time in two different cities since I graduated and my baby died recently, so I had to wait for a new-er one. I also really wanted to make this worthwhile, which I hope it is.
> 
> This chapter may be a little light in the way of romance, but I've finally formally introduced the case that will pop up throughout this story. I tried to make the details as realistic and professional as possible, but obviously I am not a investigator or cop of any time. Most of my experience comes from watching Criminal Minds, Castle, and NCIS, so pardon any peculiarities. 
> 
> I will try to update more frequently (promises, promises).
> 
> Let me know what you think,
> 
> Thanks

‘Working Girl Killer’…Spencer ran the phrase through his head several times, disliking the way the words wrapped around his tongue. It was wholly unimaginative as far as serial killer names went, not to mention fairly ambiguous. Ever since a local precinct in Illinois coined the phrase, the BAU had spent an unconscionably long time explaining to the public and local LEO’s that the killer was in fact not targeting prostitutes.

Instead, all the victims were described as wholesome and hardworking girls from nice families. Though Spencer might argue that many prostitutes were probably diligent workers as well, he didn’t think that such an observation would be received particularly well. Aside from the vague description of victim’s being ‘nice girls’ each woman differed greatly in physical appearance. The only common factor that tied the murders together was that each woman worked part time and attended a local college somewhere in the Midwest. Other than that, there seemed no rhyme or reason to the killings or the choice of victim.

Just a few days earlier Spencer had the now familiar ‘not prostitutes’ conversation with a nineteen year old cashier who attended a community college for nursing.

“But Sir,” She protested adamantly as he calmly explained that the victims were not prostitutes and that she should be cautious. “Girls like me don’t deserve to be killed.” Spencer rather thought that a prostitute wouldn’t feel she deserved to be killed either, but he kept that to himself and instead delivered a well-practiced and more tactful reply.

“I know there’s been some confusion, Ms. Warner, but we are advising young women who are employed and participating in college courses to exercise caution when on their own.” Spencer hoped he infused the proper amount of sympathy and reassurance into his voice. After delivering similar speeches to several thousand other women, it was difficult to inject the same level of emotion into his words. He gave the young woman a look that he’d often seen on Hotch’s face that never failed to impart the seriousness of a situation to its recipient. Unfortunately, Ms. Warner just giggled and flipped her reddish hair over her shoulder. He was fairly certain no one ever giggled at Hotch.

“So, Agent Reid, are you going to give me a card or something? In case I need to…call you?” Ms. Warner’s lip slanted up into what could only be described as a coy smile and Spencer wondered briefly if she was flirting with him. He was never quite sure with these things and he dismissed the idea almost immediately.

“Uh, sure…there’s my cell and the agency number in case you aren’t able to reach me.” He said, indicating each set of numbers once he removed one of the small white cards from his pocket.

“Thanks, I’ll be sure to call…if I see anything.” She gave him another smile, slipping the card into the top of her shirt.

Spencer shook his head now to dispel the memory of Ms. Warner and her perky smile. Even when the was working other cases, as he was now, in the back of his mind he would see images of strangled girls with thin bruises circling their throats and lists of information that seemed utterly unrelated. He glanced down at the crime scene photos from the team’s current case; GSW’s to the chest and abdomen. Messy, not well-planned, no staging. Likely the work of an individual who finally reached his limit and decided that violence was the appropriate way to express his rage. Not a particularly interesting case, but dangerous nonetheless given the unsub’s complete lack of restraint.

The latest victim was shot while exiting a restaurant where she was celebrating her birthday. One of the photos captured a pointy party hat discarded in the pools of blood that extended from her torso. For some inexplicable reason, she reminded him of Erica with her dark hair splayed around her pale face. He didn’t want to think of Erica and bullet wounds marring her soft skin.

He wanted her in the comfort of her small apartment, surrounded by the scent of Erica’s cooking or in their favorite library nook as they tried to merge their different interests into one. He wanted her safe and far away from the heinous violence he dealt with every day. He wanted her.

Without conscious thought he was holding his cell, his thumb poised over Erica’s number. Spencer glanced at the woman with hair too like Erica’s once more and began typing.

‘When is your birthday?’ Smiling slightly to himself, he pocketed his phone and turned his attention back to the case. Although his worries were by no means assuaged, even a brief response would confirm that Erica was alive and well…and his.  

***

Two hours later, Spencer stared at his phone with slight confusion as he read Erica’s response.

“JJ, have you heard of a ‘Daniel Radcliffe’?” He glanced at the woman who had joined him about a half an hour ago.

“Um.” JJ glanced up from her file, a frown of concentration forming a wrinkle between her brows. “Daniel Radcliffe…oh, I think he played the kid in ‘Harry Potter’.” She answered after a moment, her frown replaced with a look of amusement.

“Why? I didn’t think you’d be a fan of the ‘Boy Wizard’.” She smiled at Spencer’s obvious discomfort. “Please tell me that you haven’t taken up Quidditch?”

“Uh no.” Spencer responded quickly, not really wanting anyone to believe he ran around with broomsticks. “I just uh, someone mentioned the name and it sounded familiar.” JJ sent him a knowing look, but returned to her file nonetheless. Spencer slouched in his seat, his mood slightly dampened as he contemplated what exactly one bought for a woman who shared a birthday with Daniel Radcliffe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all didn't find the Harry Potter references too cheesy, but it is my favorite book series and I do know someone who shares a birthday (year included) with Daniel Radcliffe and I find it kinda cool. 
> 
> Also, I do not intend to malign the Midwest, I live in Indiana and love it here (aside from the bitterly cold winters).


	7. Sweaty Palms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone,
> 
> So this chapter has quite a bit more information on all fronts than some of the previous ones. Hopefully it doesn't prove too confusing.
> 
> As always, all mistakes are mine, although who else's mistakes they would be I don't know. It would be kind of weird if someone went in and added mistakes. 
> 
> If you have and question, comments, or so forth let me know.
> 
> Thanks for reading.

 “Got big plans, Dr. Reid?” Spencer stopped shuffling the papers on his desk and caught Garcia’s teasing gaze.

“Uh no.” He secured the bundle of files with a large binder, attempting to look nonchalant as he forced them into his shoulder bag.

“You just seem rather…eager to leave our lovely BAU so I was wondering if there’s a specific reason.” Morgan sat down on the edge of Spencer’s desk, blocking his access to the rest of his materials.

“She’s right, Pretty Boy. Something you wanna tell old Uncle Derek about?” Morgan said in a light voice as he wrapped an arm around Spencer’s shoulders. He sighed but tolerated his friend’s teasing with a smile.

“No, it’s just been a while since we haven’t been on call and I have some reading to catch up on.” Reid smiled at the rest of the team who were also gathering up their belongings although apparently in a far less eager manner. He figured he wasn’t really lying since he and Erica spent a fair amount of their time together reading, but it wasn’t what he had in mind for this evening.

“Tell me about it, Spence. I’ve been trying to read the same book for about three months. When I’m not here, it’s hard to justify reading when I could be spending time with Henry and Will.” Spencer silently thanked JJ for diverting the focus from his evening plans.

“Hey, if you ever want a night off you know I’m happy to hang out with Henry.”  JJ smiled back and stepped over to press a kiss to Spencer’s cheek, nudging Morgan aside in the process.

“I’m going to hold you to that.” She warned him. “Henry would love to spend some time with his Uncle Spencer and learn some more ‘cool science things’.”

“Hey, what about Uncle Derek?” Morgan asked in a mock hurt voice as he jutted his lip out in a pout.

“Of course, Henry loves you too.” JJ said with a roll of her eyes. “But you never taught him how to make his own glow sticks. Which, by the way, how do you get that stuff out of a pillow?” She directed this question at Spencer.

“Oh, uh I can take care of that next time I come over.” He assured her a bit sheepishly.

“Ok people, let’s get out of here before someone more important than me changes their mind.” Hotch said, looking amused yet tired at the team’s antics. “I’m sure there are people we’d all like to get home to.” Ignoring the pointed glances half the team was sending his way, Spencer swung his bag over his shoulder and threw a quick wave their way.

“See you guys on Monday!” He called and as an afterthought added, “I’ll probably be in the library all weekend going over the case so you might not be able to reach me.”

***

Spencer straightened his tie and glanced down to make sure his shirt was tucked in and properly buttoned before knocking on Erica’s door. His short raps were met with a brief silence, followed by a faint,

“It’s open!” He tried the door and it swung open easily. ‘Erica really needs to stop leaving her door unlocked’ He mused distractedly. “I’ll be out in a moment, I just need to turn the chicken.” Spencer nodded, even though she couldn’t see him and followed her voice, wandering into the kitchen. He was met with the very picture of domesticity as Erica leaned over the open oven, rotating small chicken breasts in a square pan.

“Oh hey” Erica said, noticing his arrival. She wore a deep red dress with capped sleeves that emphasized her pale skin and vibrant blue eyes. Spencer appreciated the sight for a moment before shifting his gaze to the kitchen’s dark blue walls.  

“Hey.” Spencer responded, waving slightly from across the room. He’d learned that hugs were definitely out of the question the week before when he put an arm around her and she jerked back as though he pulled a gun on her. They both laughed it off, she apologizing profusely, but ever since he’d been very careful to limit all physical contact to hand holding. He found it slightly ironic that he, Spencer Reid, who hated shaking hands and could easily list the number of people he’d hugged in his entire life, was so desperate to touch Erica. It went beyond conscious thought really. The moment he was near her he felt the desperate and all-consuming urge to hold her.

“You should be more careful about leaving your door unlocked.” He said, ignoring the need to say or do something much more dangerous. “Did you know that improperly secured doors are one of the leading causes of-“ Erica closed the oven door with a rather loud bang.

“It’s fine Spencer, I opened it ten minutes before you came and only when I was certain you wouldn’t be delayed.” Spencer opened his mouth to disagree but something in Erica’s eyes made him pause. “Would you mind grabbing the potatoes?” Apparently the subject was closed. Still, Spencer thought perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to bring some pamphlets concerning home safety next time he visited.

With that thought in mind, he grabbed the bowl of potatoes and followed Erica’s red clad back into the dining room.

“I was a little worried that you might get another case at the last minute.” Erica commented as she set a bowl of cooked broccoli on the table. Their previous dinners and afternoons were usually fit around his work as needed, and on more than one occasion he was forced to leave early.

Spencer shook his head. “We’re not on call this weekend, so barring any major disasters the team’s free.” Erica glanced at him as he finished speaking, a vague look of horror in her eyes. “Forget what I said about disasters.” He hastily added. Erica snickered.

“What about the-what are they calling him ‘Working Girl Killer’? Are you close to catching him?” Spencer sighed.

“Regrettably, no. The director’s instructed another team to review all the files and evidence. He’s hoping a new perspective might help.”

“Do you think it will?” Erica called, having headed back to the kitchen for the chicken.

“Probably not.” Erica shook her head.

“You know coming from any other man, that would sound downright conceited. Guess it’s a good thing you’re a genius.” Spencer frowned, halfway towards apologizing when she added, “Plus, you don’t look too bad in a dress shirt.” Then surprising him even further, she chucked him under the chin as she headed back for the table. Shaking his head, he took the seat across from her and watched her fill his plate.

“So, what exactly does this serial killer do?” Erica asked, continuing their conversation. “The media has been a little…”

“Confusing?” Spencer supplied.

“Yes, I’ve worked out that he’s not killing prostitutes, correct?” Spencer nodded. “But other than that, it all seems so unrelated and quite frankly unorganized.”

“Actually, that’s one of the more interesting, and admittedly confusing and frustrating as well, aspects of the case.” He cut into his chicken enthusiastically, warming to his topic. “Each of the victims is first strangled with a thin twine but other than the first three bodies are then further mutilated in some form or disposed of in a different manner. Two bodies were completely eviscerated while another three were dumped in bodies of water.” He paused to chew a bite of chicken which he noted was quite delicious. “It seems the unsub isn’t doing this to fulfill any ritual or the like but rather…” Spencer chose this moment to glance up and noticed that Erica was sitting with her fork halfway to her mouth, looking fairly shocked by his monologue if not vaguely intrigued.

“Oh, sorry.” He muttered. “Sometimes I get carried away when I’m talking, my coworkers usually stop me before I go too far.”

“No, you’re fine!” Erica insisted, waving a hand to forestall Spencer’s faltering apologies and in doing so nearly knocking over her glass of water. Erica’s face turned a vibrant red to match her dress and she lowered her head, suddenly highly interested in her broccoli. Spencer wondered if the evening could get any worse; perhaps he could show her the crime scene photos as an after dinner treat.

 “I don’t have much experience with dating.” Erica blurted suddenly, which Spencer thought was rather odd since he’d been the one discussing mutilated bodies. “The last date I was on was six years ago and it wasn’t even a date, it was a guy trying to feel me up in his parents’ basement which smelled like dogs.” If possible Erica’s face turned an even darker shade of red at Spencer’s slightly horrified expression.

“I just…I want you to know that I’m not very good at this whole dating business or whatever it is we’re doing.“  Her voice was almost too soft to hear at the end. They sat in awkward silence for several moments as Spencer gathered his thoughts.

“I’m not very good at the dating thing either.” He admitted softly, with a wry smile. “You might be surprised to know I had a girlfriend for a while…sort of.” Erica laughed softly.

“We sound like a couple of teenagers.” Spencer smirked at their mutual awkwardness for a moment before his expression faltered.

“She, uh, died.” His voice came out in a strangled mess and once the words were out of his mouth he instantly wished he could snatch them back. Erica’s head popped up, a shocked look spreading over her face.

“Excuse me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, in case you are wondering why Reid is keeping his relationship a secret from the team, it's not because he doesn't trust the team but rather because he's a very private person as is the character I created. Also since Reid hasn't exactly had the best of luck in the romance department I think he'd want to make sure it was serious before getting everyone excited. 
> 
> As a reminder, they've been seeing each other for about five months at this point. Awkward people move very very slowly in relationships, but don't worry the action and drama will move up a notch soon.


	8. With a Dog We'd be a Country Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,
> 
> this is a pretty short one, but I wanted to get it out there before I forgot. This one's pretty important for the upcoming action...or at least my version of action. 
> 
> Hopefully you like it and thanks for the kudos and such.

Spencer ducked his head as a shocked silence settled over the room. He wasn’t sure why he mentioned Maeve in the first place but know that he had he knew Erica needed an explanation.

“She was killed…shot by a stalker.” He heard Erica suck in a small breath and quickly glanced up. Perhaps revealing the details of his one and only disastrous relationship wasn’t the best idea. Erica watched him silently for several moments, perhaps waiting to see if a bout of hysteria would ensue, before pushing her chair back and wordlessly heading for the kitchen. Spencer spent the next thirty seconds, he counted, panicking at her less than promising response.

When Erica returned, even with the knowledge that she’d been gone for a fraction of a minute he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he frowned as he noticed she carried a plate of something as well as two forks. She calmly placed the plate, which he realized held a small chocolate cake, on the table and handed him a fork.

Spencer watched silently, unsure if this was a normal response to finding out your boyfriend’s previous girlfriend had been killed, but accepted the fork nonetheless.

“Tell me.” Erica said in a voice that was neither pitying nor forceful but simply caring. Spencer considered what he could say or if he even wanted to go into greater detail. How did one sum up a relationship that existed primarily through secret, hasty messages and which he had based a lifetime’s worth of hopes and dreams upon?  

Erica said nothing else, seemingly content with his silence as she attacked her side of the cake, their meal unceremoniously abandoned.

“She was a geneticist.” He began, digging his fork into the cake and watching the prongs sink to the frosting. “Brilliant. We started talking on the phone and...” He trailed off as the memory of her voice, his brief and single glimpse of her flashed through his mind. “Uh, she had a stalker so we couldn’t meet in person for a long time.” He took a deep breath, keeping his gaze on his fork twisting in the cake. “And when we did…well, the stalker got to her first…” He felt a strange lightness despite the dark and heavy memories floating through the room and finally met Erica’s gaze.

She offered him a smile tinged with sadness as well as tenderness and gently placed her hand over his.

“Thank you for telling me.” Erica said quietly. “And I’m sorry.”

“You know, there was a while when I didn’t think I’d ever been happy again. I thought my future died with Maeve. It’s weird, but it was the first time I could imagine having kids.” He gave a quick, shaky smile to mask his cracking voice. “The first time I really wanted kids and it wasn’t some abstract, unattainable thing.” He held Erica’s gaze, trying to indicate what he couldn’t say with his eyes and through the soft pattern he rubbed across her palm. “Now I think I might have been wrong.” Erica’s eyes opened slightly in surprise at the sincere emotion in his voice and he heard her gasp quietly.

They never discussed their feelings directly, preferring to express such things through cups of coffee and home cooked meals. Now, Spencer realized it wasn’t enough. He wanted, needed Erica to know.

I care about you, Erica.” For once his voice did not break, instead it was strong and absolutely sure. He was still holding her hand, although now it seemed infinitely more intimate than it had a few minutes earlier. Erica’s cheeks were faintly flushed which he interpreted as a positive sign. Letting his emotions lead rather than his brain, he ducked his head and pressed a soft kiss to Erica’s palm.

“I do too.” She whispered softly to his lowered head.


	9. No Rest for the Wicked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,
> 
> Sorry for the longish delay again, been busy as usual helping with my sister's wedding. I'm also soon to become a SLP aid so yay for me but it may affect the length of time between updates. Please bear with me.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter, I enjoyed writing it. It's the last chapter concerning this particular evening and date, so if you were getting bored with this topic, we'll be moving on to new territory soon. 
> 
> Throughout this story I've tried to write from a limited point of view, but through Spencer's eyes. The last little part of the chapter will be from Erica's pov. Hopefully it won't be too weird.

Spencer’s head remained bent for a moment longer after Erica spoke and then he slowly looked up, a dazzling smile spreading across his face. He was still holding her hand and seemed in no hurry to release it. Their gazes met and held, a torrent of words neither could find the strength to say flowing between them. A shiver skittered up his spine as though he’d just submerged himself in icy water. The sensation was quite pleasant and he slowly rubbed his thumb along Erica’s fingers, surprised once again at the pleasure a simple touch could provide.

He felt a soft buzzing which he realized after several long moments was not the result of Erica’s skin against his but rather his cell ringing in his pocket. Belatedly he pulled it from his pocket, still maintaining contact with Erica and suppressed a groan. He glanced up at Erica and had the sudden urge to not answer. Erica squeezed his hand, gaining his attention and nodded to the phone to indicate that he should answer.

“I’m sorry.” He said, knowing that it was completely inadequate, but she just shrugged.

“Answer before they come looking for you.” She said with a smile that almost hid the disappointment in her eyes. “I don’t need a SWAT team breaking down my door because the FBI’s resident genius has gone missing.” Spencer felt the strange urge to stick his tongue out at her as he watched her grin unapologetically at him. Giving her a mock glare he finally flipped his phone open, which fortunately was still ringing.

“Hello.” He answered curtly. He knew it was somewhat juvenile but he rather thought he deserved at least one evening without interruption.

_“Hey, Reid.”_ Penelope’s voice was slightly less perky than normal and Spencer noticed the lack of any nicknames. Apparently he wasn’t the only one dreading the impending case. _“We have a new victim.”_ Spencer didn’t bother to ask which case Garcia was referring to. “ _Milwaukee PD confirmed it.”_ He sighed, turning slightly away as though to shield Erica from the unpleasantness of the ‘Working Girl Killer’-god, he really hated that name. He could feel her gaze on his back and he turned around with an apologetic grimace. He hated bringing this nasty aspect of society into her home and for once wished he was a boring physics professor whose biggest worry was keeping his students’ attention.

“Uh, there’s been another…” Spencer trailed off as his brain tried to find a less offensive and cold word than ‘body’. Erica nodded, her eyes grim but accepting.

“The same guy?” She questioned softly, seeming to understand Spencer’s reluctance to discuss the topic. He gave another deep sigh, his earlier happiness having vanished so quickly. “Go, I understand.” Erica said with a soft smile that absolved him of any perceived wrongs. Returning her smile, he hurriedly collected his bag before glancing at the table and its abandoned contents.

“I’m really sorry about the dinner, you made everything so nice and…” he licked his lips.

“Hey, it’s ok.”  She assured him. “I understand and I don’t want you to ever feel guilty for choosing to protect people.” She glanced up from beneath her eyelashes, a hint of something Spencer couldn’t quite identify gleaming in her eyes. “It makes me rather proud actually…and slightly terrified.” Erica added with a quirk of her lips.

“I’ll call you?” He said hopefully.

“You better, I don’t get this dress out for just anyone.” Spencer inadvertently glanced down at the dress and then up again to see her smirking once more.

“Are you flirting with me?” Spencer blurted without thinking. A moment later he gasped, instantly scrambling to form an apology.

“Maybe.” Came the quiet and unexpected reply. Spencer stopped stammering, staring in amazement at the completely confusing and wonderful women in front of him. She grinned impishly at him, obliterating the dismal mood created by the phone call.  

“I usually get these kinds of things wrong.” He mused distractedly, pondering the significance of his normally reserved girlfriend being flirtatious.

“Mmm, I usually flirt unintentionally…it’s caused quite a few misunderstandings.” Spencer frowned at the calmly spoken statement.

“How do you flirt by mistake?” He asked incredulously. Erica shrugged.

“Oh you know, just trying to be friendly.” She explained as though it made perfect sense. “Well, I thought I was being friendly and they were just nice.” She added at Spencer’s even more confused expression. “until they showed up at my house the next day.” Erica mumbled the last part.

“Wait, you were flirting with me before, right?” Spencer asked as he had a sudden thought, “Or was that another mistake?” He felt distinctly off kilter given the recent discussion and how the entire night had progressed. Erica’s smile vanished and she took a step closer.

“Oh Spencer, no! That was definitely not a mistake…I’m fairly certain we’re more than friends?” A look of uncertainty slowly crept into her eyes as she spoke, all hints of her previous boldness gone. Spencer took a step closer as well and bent down to press a light kiss to Erica’s cheek.

“Yes.” He answered after a moment as he registered Erica’s apparent shock. “We’re definitely more.” He thought perhaps the kiss was going a bit far, but he couldn’t let the opportunity pass, especially if Erica thought their relationship was still platonic.

Erica’s smiled softly and Spencer couldn’t help but think it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. They stood together for several moments, Spencer’s head still bent close to Erica’s and the sound of shallow breaths loud in the silent room. Eventually Erica leaned back and he instantly mourned the loss of her body so close to his own.

“You should go.” She reminded him. “I rather like my front door the way it is.” Spencer smiled yet didn’t move as her voice sounded rather breathy which he found surprisingly attractive. Erica placed a palm flat against his chest and he glanced down at it in surprise, not certain of her intentions.

“Spencer, go. I’ll be here when you get back.” She assured him, firmly giving his chest a shove with the hand that was still pressed tightly against his chest. With a sign he finally stepped back.

“Uh, just for future reference, when is too early to call?” He asked casually. Erica gave him a second push towards the door.

“Wake me up before six and you’ll find out just how terrifying a woman my size can be.” She answered pleasantly. Spencer grinned despite the inherent threat, feeling oddly cheerful as he opened the door.

“Spencer.” He turned back at the sound of Erica’s voice. “Please be careful.”

“Of course.” Spencer answered, knowing that he would do everything in his power to return safely to Erica’s side. He leaned in quickly, pressing a second more lingering kiss to Erica’s cheek and brushed his fingers down her bare arm.

“Take care.” He murmured as slipped out the door.

***

Erica stood silently for several long moments and slowly brought her hand to her cheek, brushing her fingers over the rounded surface. Her skin tingled as thought Spencer’s lips were still touching it. Eventually she clumsily wandered over to the couch and sank heavily into the cushion, burying her face in her palms.

His touch. The feel of his skin against hers. He made her happy.

She never meant to let it go this far.

  

 

 

 


	10. Defying Logic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone,  
> So I think I'm getting slightly better at this whole updating thing. 
> 
> Huge apology to anyone who has already read this chapter for the partial repeat, don't know what happened there, but it's been fixed.
> 
> Since the last chapter I've been busy and I have found a job related to Speech Therapy (I'm excited and slightly anxious) and my sister got married (woohoo).
> 
> This chapter is rather long, at least for me. Certain sections are also written from Erica's limited 3rd pov. I also am updating the tags to include some violence/graphic descriptions. Although I don't think my writing has been overly graphic to this point, I realized that some readers may liked to be warned about this. For those who have read up to this chapter, you shouldn't find my writing anymore graphic than normal.
> 
> Disclaimer: If I owned any part of CBS or Criminal Minds do you think I'd be writing fanfiction? Although wouldn't it be weird if the writers wrote fanfiction in their spare time? Maybe publish all the story lines that never made it to air...unlikely, but somewhat amusing. 
> 
> I'd also like to thank those who have left kudos/comments and bookmarked this story. It's really nice to know that people are enjoying my writing especially since I've never written anything close to this length before.

“The latest victim has yet to be identified but is female and estimated to between the ages of 18 and 25 with blonde hair and green eyes. Other than that the coroner is having difficulty finding any other significant characteristics.” Garcia paused in her monologue as the rest of the team studied the photo on the screen. The majority of the victim’s body was mottled with dark bruises of varying shades of purple and blue.

“Does the coroner have any idea what she was beaten with?” Hotch asked.

“She believes a blunt object might have been used but honestly with all the damage she can’t be sure. It’s will take a few days to sort out all the trauma.” Penelope made a wide sweeping gesture with one hand accompanied by a grimace.

“When did the coroner realize she was strangled?” JJ asked, a disturbed expression marring her features despite her efforts to remain unaffected.

“Ah, at first she assumed that it was some type of internal trauma such as a pierced organ due to a broken rib that caused her death but then Dr. Keerig noticed that her trachea was crushed and…” Garcia enlarged the photo and focused over the young woman’s throat. “She noticed this.” Beneath the dark splotches the pattern of a thin and lighter bruise could be seen.

“Dr. Keerig remembered that we have an ongoing case so she checked the marks against those in the database and it was a match. Unfortunately.” Garcia clicked to a new screen which displayed an up close view of the latest victim’s neck where the bruising was slightly lighter next to a reference picture.

“It’s interesting that the unsub went to such extreme measures to obscure his MO.” Spencer said in a thoughtful voice. “I mean the time it would take to inflict the damage shows his commitment to maintaining his anonymity. He also would most likely need a relatively isolated location in order to mask any sounds.” The rest of the team nodded at Spencer’s assessment.

“Really he probably has multiple locations where he takes the victims. He could transport them between states but it would be more risky especially considering the increased police presence and given the unsub’s extreme cautiousness and attention to detail I believe the first option is more likely.” Spencer sucked in a deep breath, having barely paused to breathe during his monologue. He ran a hand through his hair, his long fingers catching in the now messy curls as he wearily contemplated the significance of his observations. Sophisticated killers were always the worst, especially when they didn’t want their ‘work’ acknowledged. This case was suddenly vastly more complicated and potentially more dangerous than they originally thought.

The shrill sound of a ringing cell interrupted Spencer’s musings and he looked up in time to see Hotch stepping to the far end of the room to answer his phone.

“Are you sure?” The entire room was unusually silent as the team listened to Hotch’s grave tone and waited for the inevitably bad news. “Alright, we’ll be there as quickly as we can. Uh-huh, no…that’s fine. Thank you for informing us so quickly. We’ll be in contact shortly.” He disconnected his phone and slipped it into his pocket before heaving a sigh.

“Chicago PD just reported another body. She was found in a park in Steger, Illinois.” Hotch’s grim announcement was met with solemn but unsurprised looks from the team. Spencer closed his eyes for a brief moment to prepare himself for what would most likely be several grueling days of investigation.

“They haven’t processed most of the scene since once they determined that the victim was related to our case, they figured we would want to conduct our own investigation. Reid and Morgan you’ll be heading to Steger on the next flight, JJ and Rossi you’ll take over in Milwaukee. Wheels up in thirty.”

***

“Hey, you’ve been pretty quiet, Reid. I don’t think you said more than two sentences the whole way here, everything ok?” Morgan slowed to a stop, gently grasping the other man’s elbow to halt his long-legged stride as well. He gave Spencer a measured glance and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for a response.

“I’m fine, Morgan.” Spencer answered. Morgan raised his eyes at his friend’s uncharacteristically terse response.

“You sure? Cause you don’t look or sound fine?” Reid huffed out a sign and rolled his shoulders.

“I’m just ready for this case to be over with.” He answered eventually.

“Now that I can believe and completely agree with.” Morgan allowed with a nod. “But I still think there’s something going on.” He added as Spencer started for the entrance of the Veteran’s Memorial Park.

The cheerful green foliage that surrounded the park stood in stark contrast to the bright yellow police which blocked the entrance to the public. Stooping to duck under the waist-high tape, Spencer shook his head at a large poster plastered to the gates that depicted a smiling family enjoying an afternoon in the park.

Almost immediately they were met by a young dark skinned police officer who appeared rather harried and slightly sweaty in the warm spring air.

“Sirs, I’m afraid this area is closed to the public.” The two agents removed their ID’s in response to his warning.

“We’re Agents Morgan and Reid from the Behavioral Analysis Unit.” Morgan added which received a blank look from the officer. “We’ve been called in to take over this case in relation to an ongoing investigation in out department.” He elaborated. The officer swore loudly and muttered “wish they would tell me these things once in a while.” Before extending a hand.

“I’m Officer Lewis, CPD…the body’s this way.” He pointed towards a wooded area. “Pretty deep in, whoever did this went to a lot of trouble to hide the body. Jogger found it by the side of the trail.”

“Actually, it’s odd that the unsub would put so much energy into dragging the body through the woods only to leave it unburied and in a place likely to be frequented by visitors.” Lewis just blinked at Spencer.

“Sure, whatever you say. Like I said, it’s this way.” Lewis lifted a radio near his mouth as he walked, a crack of static proceeding his words. “Hey, Lewis here, I got two guys from the…FBI.” He glanced back at the agents for confirmation before continuing. “Say they’ve got jurisdiction.”

 _“Good, get ‘em over here.”_ Shouted an abrasive voice. _“If I have to chase away any more of these damn squirrels…”_ Lewis winced and switched off the radio, giving a nervous laugh.

“Sorry, we normally don’t have a lot of violent crime in this area. Sergeant’s a bit stressed.” He explained apologetically.    

“Understandable, we know this is a difficult time for your community and we’ll try to conduct our investigation with as little inconvenience to your department as possible.” Morgan assured the other man in a calming tone.

The three men followed a winding and slightly leaf covered path through the woods, the sound of chirping birds and dripping water accompanying them on their journey. After trekking through the woods for nearly twenty minutes, Officer Lewis having led them off the main path, they approached a large taped of area that was bustling with activity.

“Lewis, what took you so long?!” Shouted the same voice that had filtered over the radio earlier.

 “Sorry Sir, but the ground’s getting soggy from all the runoff.” Lewis said as an older, severe looking man with a grey buzz cut marched towards the trio.

“You’re FBI?” The man bit out as he scanned the two agents. He gave a brief, approving nod to Morgan before glancing at Reid with a frown. “I understand that your department is supposed to straighten this out.” He continued without waiting for a reply.

“Sir, I’m Agent Morgan and this is Agent Reid.” Derek introduced them, avoiding the Sergeant’s glare.

“Divens.” The Sergeant responded shortly, ignoring Morgan’s outstretched hand. “Can we get a move on? I got concerned and worried citizens, reporters dogging my unit and a soon to be grieving family to inform, so if we can skip the pleasantries I’d just as soon get this over with.”

“Understood, Sir.” Morgan said to Divens’ retreating back. He glanced at Reid who was doing his best to appear unassuming and professional but once their gazes caught Spencer let out an unexpected snicker. Morgan smiled in return and shook his head.

“Man, we need a vacation…”    

Both men quickly schooled their expressions as they snapped on gloves and pulled out their flashlights and headed towards the line of tape. Spencer bent his lanky frame as he passed under the barrier where about a dozen police officers and other officials were milling around. A number of yellow evidence tags littered the ground but as far as Spencer could tell, the investigation had come to a standstill.

“We left everything as is as soon as our ME got a look at the neck.” Divens said. “We marked a few things we considered important before you all got here, but otherwise it’s your parade.”

“We appreciate that, Sir.” Reid offered with a quick, encouraging smile. “It’s really important in cases like this that to have as little of evidence compromised.”

“Uh-huh.” Divens responded, giving Spencer a dubious glance. “Well, the body’s over here…” The small group of police parted to reveal a small, prone figure, her head cocked an odd angle and her face obscured by a copious amount of dark brown hair. Spencer sank into a crouch, extending his hand towards the woman’s upper body.

“Have you already photographed the body?” He asked, not wanting to disturb any potential evidence.  


“Of course! You thought we were just gonna stand here and twiddle our thumbs.” Spencer nodded, deciding that answering Officer Divens would only increase his already low opinion of the younger agent.

Carefully, Spencer placed his hand at the base of the woman’s skull and turned her face towards him. He waited a moment, allowing a few pictures to be snapped and then shifted her hair. He stumbled back with a gasp, nearly tumbling over in his haste to get away from the body.

“Reid, you ok?” Spencer jerked his eyes up towards Morgan and then back to the body and licked his suddenly parched lips.

“Uh, yeah…yeah.” He responded eventually, absently noting that Divens and several other men were now staring at him with acute interest. “Sorry, uh, something got in my eye.” His voice was too hoarse and his heart was pounding, but he managed a quick smile. Morgan nodded, seeming to accept Spencer’s explanation although there was a calculated gleam in his eye that said the conversation wasn’t over.

“Uh, the victim is fully dressed and there doesn’t appear to be any extensive bruising or abrasions on her…”   

***

Spencer excused himself, heading for the bathroom as soon as he and Morgan returned to BAU headquarters. His head was pounding and his hands were shaking uncontrollably. He stood in front of the wall of mirrors for several minutes, chanting to himself that it wasn’t Erica. She was safe, she didn’t fit the profile, she was too old, she graduated three years ago. He sucked in a deep breath that failed to calm his racing mind and glanced above the sink to see that his normally pale face was an unhealthy shade of gray. He allowed a few more minutes before he declared himself sufficiently ready to return.

In his absence, the rest of the team had gathered at the round table and were discussing the new victims. A photo appeared on the screen and Spencer swallowed a strangled noise as his eyes wandered over the smiling young woman. He’d spent the remainder of his time at the crime scene on autopilot, asking appropriate questions and providing an in depth analysis of the victim’s murder but barely remembering what he said.

In truth, Miranda Young’s resemblance to Erica was quite low Spencer realized as he risked a second glance at the horrifyingly large photo. While Miranda was petite and had dark hair her features and golden brown skin were more consistent with a Hispanic ancestry. Even as Spencer rationalized these facts in his mind, his heart still pounded at the sight of a small, dark haired figure with a large wound in the center of her chest and the thin bruise embracing her throath. He shuddered as an image of Erica in a similar position forced its way into his mind.

***

Erica woke to an insistent pounding, her groggy mind taking several long moments to realize that someone was knocking on her door. With a groan she heaved herself from her bed, briefly wondering who had the indecency to wake a person at 3 in the morning before she decided she really didn’t care. She stumbled to the door and flipped the lock, yanking on the handle with thoughts of murdering whoever was on the other side.

“Spencer?” She blinked in confusion at the tall man standing in front of her. He glanced up at her with an apologetic yet oddly relieved expression, his shoulders slightly hunched.

“Hey, I’m sorry I woke you up.” He whispered. “I should have called, I wasn’t thinking.” He added as he jerked a hand through hair that looked as though he’d slept on it at least once. It took Erica’s sleep ridden mind a few seconds to respond and she stared at his disheveled appearance.

“Spencer, is everything ok?” She asked as he continued to stare at her, his eyes continuously flicking between her face and upper body. He shrugged, the movement looking oddly elegant despite his wrinkled shirt and displaced tie.

“It was just a really bad case.” He responded eventually. His voice was hoarse and sounded almost as though he had been crying. Without thinking Erica stepped towards him and carefully enveloped his waist in a loose embrace. Immediately Spencer’s arms came around her shoulders, wrapping tightly around her torso until his hands came to rest on her waist.

“Hey, it’s alright.” She comforted him softly as he buried his head against her neck. A very small voice in the back of her head was screaming at her that things were definitely not alright if Spencer Reid was standing outside her door in the middle of the night looking as though he’d been run over by a street sweeper.

 “Come on, the neighbors will be all over us if we stay out here.” Spencer barely responded as she attempted to lead him through the doorway.  It was only with a fair amount of nudging that she was able to loosen his hold to a one armed hug as they shuffled towards the couch.

Spencer slowly sank into the cushions, his head flopping down to rest in his hands in a way that sent a renewed wave of panic flowing through Erica’s veins.

“Hey, are you ok?” She asked softly, taking a seat beside him and unconsciously running a hand through his uncombed hair. Erica discreetly gave him a once over, which wasn’t terribly difficult since he was currently grinding his palms into his eyes, and was satisfied to see no obvious signs of blood or injury. “Did something happen to your team?” He shook his head slightly and finally raised his head, revealing reddened eyes that were previously concealed in the dim hallway.

“No.” He breathed out in a shuddering voice. “It’s just this…this case. It won’t end.” He concluded miserably. Erica continued to brush her fingers through his hair, playing with the curls at the base of his neck.

“But something made it worse this time, what was it?” Spencer shrugged inelegantly and shook his head again.

“It’s stupid and it’s selfish.” He muttered bitterly. He was silent for several moments.  “All I could see was your face.” He finally added and at last he met her gaze.

“One of these girls looked like me?” Erica asked slowly. Spencer nodded miserably.

“Well, not really. Anytime I see a woman with dark hair these days, I think of you...this time it was just much worse.” He shrugged and then sank back into the couch. “I’m sorry, that’s really morbid.” He mumbled a moment later which saved Erica from having to respond. She honestly didn’t know what to say to the revelation that Spencer saw her in the victims he encountered or the fact that it was affecting him so greatly.

“Spencer, I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but I can promise you that I’m not going anywhere…even if you do wake me up in the middle of the night…on a Friday.” Spencer gave a weak and slightly hysterical sounding chuckle in response and let his head fall against her shoulder.

“Thanks...I just needed to see you.” He curled his arms around her shoulders, sinking against her again. “Hear your voice.” He fiddled with a piece of Erica’s hair that was sticking out an odd angle and then quietly asked, “Would you talk to me?”

“What do you want me to talk about?” Erica asked around a yawn. Her mind was still fighting the unexpected need to think.

“Anything, just anything you want.” Spencer responded, he licked his lips and Erica found herself tracking the movement with her eyes. “Tell me about your day.” He prompted.

“Um, ok…well, I saw about thirty kids today. Only three had meltdowns so that’s progress…” Erica spoke slowly as she attempted to put her thoughts into some sort of order but Spencer didn’t seem to mind. He simply leaned a little closer and tugged her against his chest, apparently content to listen to her rambling.

“I had one little guy, sweetest boy you’ve ever seen, can’t say his f’s or figure out plurals for the life of him. He sounds like Golem from the Lord of the Rings.” As she spoke, her fingers returned to Spencer’s curls and began combing through them. “And my Downs girl learned five new words this weekend, she said she wants to be an actress.”

“They sound great, I’d like to meet them.” Spencer said in a slightly slurred voice. His head was now lodged firmly against Erica’s neck and she shifted them to a more comfortable position so they were nearly horizontal.

“Well, I could use an assistant.” She said without thinking. Spencer’s resulting smile against her neck stopped any thoughts of rescinding the offer.

“I think I’d like that…there aren’t enough kids at the BAU.” He added sleepily. A few moments later Erica felt soft even breaths against her skin and she tried to allow her somewhat tense body to relax since it seemed they wouldn’t be moving in the near future. She buried her nose amongst the unruly curls at the crown of his head and squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden onslaught of emotion.

“I’d like it too, Spencer. So much more than you could ever know.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To any who might be familiar with FERPA and HIPAA laws I realize it might be a little iffy for Erica to be sharing details about her students, but I figure that Reid would most likely be required to know about them (and probably have them memorized).
> 
> I should probably also mention that I have never been to Steger's memorial park although I have been to Steger. So if anyone notices any discrepancies, which there nits likely will be, that's the reason why.


	11. It Happened One Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,
> 
> I'm back, again. I worked pretty hard on this chapter off and on for the past few weeks, apparently I do my best work when I'm supposed to be sleeping, so I hope you all like it.
> 
> Beware the angst. Yes, there will be some angst. And one mention of breasts, so brace yourselves.
> 
> Disclaimer: I most likely wouldn't be living with my parents if I had anything to do with Criminal Minds or any show for that matter. Well, I'd least be able to pay for an apartment if I wanted, probably would still live with my parents. But that would be kinda difficult since Criminal Minds rarely comes to Indiana.
> 
> Again, kudos and comments are much appreciated, particularly constructive criticism. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Erica had never woken up in a man’s arms before. Her first response was to freeze and mentally panic at what she could only presume was the result of some ill-advised drinking, even though she never drank and couldn’t remember drinking the night before. Several long moments later she finally had the good sense to glance at the man above her and she took a deep breath, or as deep as she could with a pair of arms around her torso, as she realized that the arms belonged to Spencer rather than some unknown man. 

It came rushing back to her then; Spencer’s unexpected arrival at her door and his utterly devastated demeanor as he refused to meet her gaze. Really she should have talked to him and then sent him home, and if it had been anyone else other than Spencer, she would have. Their relationship was already dangerously intimate before last night, but he'd been so earnest and miserable that she couldn't send off on his own. 

The worst part was just how much she enjoyed Spencer’s company and his touch. Just being with him. Even now she was relishing in the feeling of his body pressed against her own. She should definitely not be enjoying this, being so close, so intimate with someone. Yet slowly and almost without her notice, or perhaps despite her noticing, Spencer wandered into her life and home trailing overly sweet cups of coffee and horror stories that had her hanging on his every word.

 Erica stiffened as Spencer’s head shifted slightly where it rested against her chest, conveniently nestled between her breasts, suddenly and quite vividly reminding her that she wasn’t wearing a bra. His nose pressed into her now sensitive skin, sending a wave of heat down her spine along with something else she didn’t wish to identify.

 Erica squeezed her eyes shut as she remembered his soft and slightly hesitant kisses, his warm lips pressing tenderly against her skin. She should have stopped him the moment he began holding her hand or staring at her with eyes that were far too expressive and appreciative. Or the day she drank a sip of coffee and an image of his smile came to her unbidden.   

 A deep sweep of guilt flowed through her body, which was followed by a fervent and immediate need to escape Spencer’s soothing embrace. She lightly pressed against Spencer’s arms in the hope that he would release her without waking up. He remained annoyingly boneless against her which now given her need to be free was becoming oppressive.

It turned out that Spencer was deceptively strong, despite his slight build he was quite heavy and his arms remained obstinately curled beneath her back. She gave another ineffective push, deciding that men were made of a different substance than woman and smacked his chest in frustration.

“Spencer.” He jerked at the sound of her voice, blinking slowly as he woke.

“Hey.” His face split into a wide, sleepy smile as he met Erica’s gaze. He looked completely content and Erica thought it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. Erica glanced down at Spencer’s chest, unable to hold his gaze any longer.

“Hi.” She greeted him in a subdued whisper. Erica kept her eyes fixed on the top button of Spencer’s of shirt, her fingers toying with the edge of his collar.

“Erica?” She still refused to look at him but she felt the sudden tensing of his body and the confused worry in his voice.

***

Spencer stared at Erica’s downturned head, vaguely wondering if the position was as uncomfortable as it looked while the greater part of his brain analyzed the blatant panic that he’d seen before she glanced down.

“I…uh, I didn’t mean to–”

“No, you’re fine. Just let me–” They both attempted to move at the same time which only served in wedging them more firmly against each other. There was a beat of silence as their faltering attempts at speech stopped and Spencer felt a shiver skitter up his spine as Erica’s body brushed his. He took a deep, steadying breath, hoping to halt the heady sensation that was slowly creeping over his skin.

Spencer chanced a quick glance down at Erica, realizing that she was now completely trapped between his torso and the back of the couch. Her gaze was resolutely focused somewhere above his left shoulder and Spencer found himself automatically glancing at his shirt to see if he’d somehow drooled on it during the night. Secure in the knowledge that his shirt was momentarily fluid free he turned his attention back to the woman in his arms.

He felt decidedly out of his element, never having been in such an intimate situation with a woman before. He was somewhat at a loss as to how to transition from horizontal to vertical and his predicament wasn’t aided by his constant contact with Erica’s body. All the neurons in his brain seemed to have short circuited at once leaving him with the sole desire to pull Erica closer and bury his nose against the warmth of her neck. Giving the part of his brain that was misbehaving a mental smack, he pushed himself to a sitting position.

Erica scrambled off the couch the moment Spencer shifted off her and stood at the opposite end, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. Her posture was painfully rigid, shoulders hunched, her gaze intensely focused on a couch cushion. Spencer in turn stared at the side of her head, desperately thinking of some way to break the painful silence.

‘Would you like some coffee?” Erica asked, in a flat tone. Without waiting for a reply she rounded the couch, leaving a large space between their bodies and ignoring his outstretched hand.

Spencer turned futilely where he stood as he watched Erica head for the kitchen. He sighed, running his fingers through his hair until he gave it up as a disaster that only a good, long shower and a brush would cure. His eyes flicked towards the kitchen but he quelled the voice that was silently urging him to follow Erica. Somehow he didn’t think now was an appropriate time to discuss his unplanned visit.

Or maybe it was. He probably should give Erica some explanation for why he showed up at her door in the middle of the night after having no contact with her for a week. Although now that he considered that particular avenue, bringing up his decided absence since their last date might not be the best idea, even if he did have an excellent excuse. He should say something, even if it was to apologize for his behavior. Or behaviors as the case may be. He dragged his fingers through his hair once more and then began absentmindedly fiddling with the hair band he wore on his right wrist.  

Perhaps Erica was still angry that he’d kissed her although at the time she seemed amiable if a little flustered. As he quickly analyzed her behavior from that night he concluded that was not the most likely reason for her closed off demeanor. Which left last night, and Spencer honestly couldn’t remember with any certainty what he’d said or done that ended with him and Erica on her couch together. He vaguely recalled telling her something about the case at which point he thought Erica might have hugged him, but it all became a bit hazy after that.    

“Were we talking about Hobbits?” He murmured to himself as he shook his head. Sleep deprivation was not his friend. He really wished he paid more attention when Garcia and JJ were talking about dating or better yet, if JJ were here he was certain she could tell him exactly where he’d erred and the appropriate way to apologize. As a married woman she probably knew exactly what his male and romantically inexperienced brain was missing.

Spencer glanced towards the kitchen again as the faint sounds of metal clanking filtered out. It seemed to be taking Erica an incredibly long time to make a pot of coffee and he began to wonder if she planned on staying in there indefinitely. Resisting the renewed urge to barge in after Erica and profess his heartfelt apologies, he glanced around the room, hoping to find something to hold his attention until Erica returned. He found himself in front of her family pictures again, drawn to the smiling faces, enamored with the idea of such happiness.

Surprisingly there were two new additions to the collection off to the side. The first was of a young woman with vibrantly red hair, sharp cheekbones and a fierce expression. Spencer crouched slightly to get a better look, frowning as he wondered why on earth Erica had chosen this picture which he honestly found a little terrifying. There was something in the woman’s blue eyes though that was familiar and after a moment Spencer realized they were almost identical to Erica’s.

Spencer’s attention shifted to the other photo, his interest piqued, and saw that it was another group shot that included the red headed woman. She was situated between Erica and Alyssa, her mouth twisted into something that only vaguely resembled a smile. Other than the eyes, she looked nothing like the other two woman, but Spencer could only assume she was Erica’s sister. He found it odd that Erica never mentioned it but then again, he thought as he glanced at the picture once more, sometimes secrets were there for a reason. He stopped that train of thought before his profiling instincts could take over and turn the unsuspecting woman in a mass-murdering recluse.

Since it didn’t seem Erica would be returning anytime soon (Spencer mentally calculated that she’d been gone for about fifteen minutes) he turned his attention to the photo of Erica and her niece and nephews. It had quickly become his favorite over the last few weeks. In his mind he could easily imagine Erica with a similar set of children sporting hair a rich glossy brown rather than blond, more angular cheeks and eyes that were blue instead of brown.

“Three sugars, no cream.” Spencer spun around, still clutching the photo. Erica continued to walk silently to the couch, other than her clipped words ignoring Spencer and holding two mugs of coffee close to her chest. She placed them on opposite ends of the coffee table before stiffly lowering herself to the couch. Apparently things hadn’t improved in the kitchen, Spencer mused as Erica held herself at the very edge of the couch and immediately crossed her arms over her chest again. Maybe the questions about her sister could wait for a later and less strained time.

“Uh, thanks.” Spencer replied as he replaced the picture. He watched Erica for a moment, wondering if he should even move as everything about her posture was screaming at him to stay as far away as possible. Finally he took a few hesitant steps in her direction and seeing that her arms only tightened marginally around her torso, which Spencer chose to ignore, he lowered himself onto the other side of the couch. He picked up his mug, concentrating on the way the sunlight filtered through the clear glass instead of the silent woman beside him.

It was amazing that a man with an IQ of 187 and three Ph.D.’s and a woman who could expound on the minutia of fronting of interdental consonants couldn’t find a way to broach the topic of their night on her couch. Of all the awkward moments between the two, and there had been a great many since they’d met, this was the first time it felt painful. There was a new and uncomfortable tension that Spencer couldn’t think of any way to circumvent and made all the more distressing since he wasn’t entirely certain of the source.

Spencer’s mind was practically vibrating with the need to say something while Erica remained resolutely silent, clutching her mug of coffee but never raising it to her lips. He took a sip of his own and it left a strange bitterness behind. He cleared his throat and Erica jerked, her head swiveling automatically towards him. Belatedly he realized that she still wore a t-shirt and pajama pants which made her look even younger than usual. A moment later a gentle flush suffused his face as it occurred to him just what had been cushioning his head as he slept. Now Erica’s anger made much more sense, even if what happened was completely unintentional.

“Erica, I ‘m sorry about,” He began, breaking off as she finally met his gaze. A simple apology really wasn’t adequate. “I mean, I wasn’t planning anything…wow, that sounds really bad out loud.” Spencer took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly and began fiddling with his hair band again. “I’m not trying to push you into anything, I would never and I didn’t mean to violate any physical boundaries last night, I was tired which I know isn’t an acceptable excuse at all but–”

“I’m supposed to visit my sister today.” Erica murmured, interrupting Spencer’s rambling momentarily.

“Erica, please–”

“Spencer, I need you to leave.” This time her voice was firm as she rose to her feet. It took Spencer a moment to respond.

“Um, ok.” Spencer said, his voice breaking. He nodded in lieu of saying anything else, knowing the words were unwanted and would reveal far more than he intended. Slowly he got to his feet, noticing for the first time that at some point during the night he’d misplaced his shoes. Surreptitiously he glanced around the room.

“They’re under the table.” Erica provided.

“Ah, thanks. I’ll just…” He gestured with one hand having forgotten he was still holding his coffee and sat back down to put his shoes on, nearly knocking his mug over in the process. Spencer could honestly say he’d never found tying his shoes more nerve wracking. Finally he managed to unknot the laces after several moments of nervous fumbling and he scrambled to his feet, grabbing his shoulder bag from beside the couch.

“I’ll, I’ll talk to you later?” He hadn’t intended it to be a question but after the last several hours it no longer seemed a certainty. Erica nodded quickly and then he found himself staring at the other side of her apartment door.

That had not gone well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Reid's hair band: I'm almost positive there is an episode in the fifth season were he's wearing a one (Either I'm a huge creeper or everyone else has noticed this as well). I mentioned earlier that I particularly like him with long hair, so he has it in this story. Reid also has a tendency to fiddle with things and although I can't imagine him with a ponytail I can see him wearing a hair band just to mess with.
> 
> 2\. Yes, parts of this were meant to be extremely awkward. And not the fun kind of awkward. Hopefully I pulled that off. 
> 
> 3\. I've been delving into Erica's mind a bit more because it's necessary in order to understand her actions. Most of the story will remain from Reid's point of view.
> 
> 4\. There is a method to my madness and a definite plan. Things are gonna get a little rougher and angsty for a while though. 
> 
> 5\. Should anyone be wondering, the kisses mentioned throughout the chapter allude to when Reid kissed Erica's cheek.


	12. Rainy Days and Mondays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all I'd like to thank Village_Mystic for giving some helpful criticism and advise which included focusing a bit more on the case. While this is not predominately a case-fic, I did want to include at least one throughout the story. I've tried to really work on the level of detail in this chapter and Reid's point of view.
> 
> In this chapter, I use the term IEP which for those who aren't aware is an acronym for Individualized Education Plan. This is a document that any child who receives speech in a school has. Let me tell you, they're a barrel of laughs. 
> 
> My description of the application process at IU is completely based off of my experience at the university I attended so it's quite possibly different from what I actually described. Also, I'm fairly certain that there is not a secretary named Linda Thornton at IU.
> 
> I'm also not a meteorologist but I do find that people often freak out about relatively normal weather patterns. I.E. it snows in the midwest in the winter a lot, nothing to freak out about.
> 
> Once again thanks for the comments and kudos and continued support. Let me know of any problems you see or suggestions you have.
> 
> Disclaimer: Yes, I own Criminal Minds. And all the other CBS shows. I've just been giving away all the money to random strangers. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading, this is a bit of a long one.

Spencer wearily made his way home, settling on his couch with a sigh. This was far too complicated for him to contemplate on only a few hours of sleep and less than half a cup of coffee. He groaned quietly and slumped gracelessly into a half-reclined position, intent on sleeping for the next 36 hours.

His mind had other plans; however, and three hours later a very frustrated and sleep-deprived Spencer threw his pillow against a wall. Despite his body desperately begging for sleep his thoughts refused to quiet. He glanced at his watch which informed him that it was just nearing 11 and decided that sleep was futile. Technically the team was off rotation for the weekend but he was fairly certain at least a couple of his coworkers could be found at the BAU, so he could potentially wile away the hours on a few case files. He didn’t really relish the idea of being the focus of Hotch’s unblinking stare though or one of Penelope’s bubbly, sugar-coated interrogations.

Spencer had also been making a concerted effort in the last several months to not bury his troubles in work. During difficult times his instinct was to keep his personal problems a secret from his friends and he found that was best done by focusing on a case. However, that hardly struck him as a mature and responsible, let alone healthy, way of handling the important aspects of his life, so here he sat; exhausted and frustrated.

After a few more minutes of dully contemplating the merits of solving his problem by becoming a Catholic priest, Spencer heaved himself to his feet and shuffled to the kitchen. As far as he was concerned he deserved an entire pot of coffee and at least an equal amount of sugar to go with it. Mumbling to himself he fumbled with the glass carafe, eventually managing to get both the grounds and water in their proper compartments.

He rummaged through his refrigerator while the coffee machine dripped and hissed, hoping to find something potentially edible. By the time the annoyingly loud timer announced his coffee was ready Spencer had decided on a mostly yellow, using the word mostly loosely, banana and a blueberry bagel he couldn’t recall buying. He sniffed it for good measure.

Leaning against the counter across from his rarely used oven he munched on his breakfast and decided he needed a plan of action where his romantic life was concerned. Thus far Spencer had largely played it by ear, a new and terrifying concept for him, which until now seemed to be working well. Now he realized he terribly misjudged the situation. Erica was obviously not comfortable with the level of intimacy he had encouraged.

Which was perfectly fine. He could handle this so long as they had a relationship of some form. It might be difficult to revert to a more platonic relationship but if it meant that Erica was more at ease with him then there was no question in his mind as to what he should do.

There would be less touching, no more kissing and he definitely would not be waking up in her arms in the near future. But before there could be no more kisses, he needed to be able to talk to her and he didn’t think that would be particularly easy given his disastrous explanation that morning.

His pocket buzzed just as he was debating how best to broach the topic and whether or not he should call or text. Spencer pulled his phone out, thinking a few unpleasant words since he figured it was alerting him to the presence of a new body. He was thoroughly surprised to find that it was a text from Erica which read.

_‘Spencer, please forgive me for my behavior this morning. I was surprised and I panicked which does not in any way excuse my behavior but I hope you will understand.’_ Spencer read the message through several times, now thoroughly confused as to what was going on. He was firmly under the impression that he was expected to apologize. After a moment’s debate he tapped out a response.

_‘There’s no need to apologize and I don’t blame you for anything that happened between us. Would you be willing to start over and pretend that this never happened?’_

_‘That actually sounds wonderful.’_ Spencer smiled as he read the words in Erica’s voice and imagined her gifting him with a shy smile.

_‘So, would you like to get coffee tomorrow with a friend?’_ He knew it was pushing the matter, but he there was a small part of him that was afraid the tension might fester between them if he didn’t see her soon.

_‘I would love to, unfortunately I have several IEP meetings this coming week and need to prepare. I’ll talk to you soon?’_ Spencer felt a small bit of unease but pushed it down. Earlier she claimed she was meeting with her sister, now she was busy with work. It was ridiculous to be suspicious, knew that Erica often had meetings that kept her busy after hours. Instead he focused on the hesitant question and allowed himself a smile.  

Spencer wandered into the living room and sank down on the couch, feeling a sense of peace for the first time since the day started. It was as though someone had suddenly turned every muscle and bone in his body to the consistency of Jello as the tension running through him disappeared. Still holding his phone loosely in his hand, his eyes slowly flickered and then closed.

***

Monday morning dawned rainy and cold and with the promise of another long day spent examining the ‘Working Girl Killer’. To say that the team was a little unenthusiastic would be a slight understatement. The BAU elevator doors opened to reveal three weary looking profilers each clutching their preferred form of caffeine.

“Ugh, did it have to rain again.” JJ muttered, shaking out a dripping umbrella. “I swear it’s rained more this month than it has in the entire existence of Virginia.” Reid shook his hair, the slightly wet strands sending a fine spray of water in an arc around him. JJ grimaced slightly and moved to stand on the other side of Morgan.

“Actually, Virginia’s weather patterns tend to be quite diverse depending on the area of the state and the overall air currents and trends throughout the country. Really the level of precipitation can vary from almost drought-like conditions to near flooding. It really all depends on the year. The current amount of precipitation is actually within normal limits for March in Virginia.” Finished, Spencer began rifling through his shoulder bag as they walked.

“Man, you have too much time on your hands.” Morgan said with a fond smile. “You do realize that we all have lived here for years, right?” Spencer seemed unconcerned by his friend’s comment and shrugged.

“People always behave as though the weather is surprising when in reality most of our weather patterns have changed very little during our lifetimes. Most of our weather is quite normal, excluding major catastrophes such as tornadoes or hurricanes and even those many times can be expected depending on the season.” His words were met with silence and typical looks of fond exasperation. “It’s good to present the reality of a situation rather than continue to foster falsehoods.” Spencer insisted, staunchly refusing to back down on a topic that had annoyed him for years.

“Good for you, Spence.” JJ said, patting him on the shoulder. “You keep up the good work.” She continued and Reid narrowed his eyes at her slightly mocking voice.

“You’re lack of support is noted.” He commented dryly. Spencer was quite used to his friends and colleagues responses to his educational monologues, which often included confusion, boredom and unfettered annoyance.  Spencer actually found it quite satisfying to know how easily he could evoke Morgan’s exasperation.

“Man, if I have to look at these files one more time…” Morgan said as he sat in his desk chair with a thud.

“Why are you complaining, you keep giving me all your files so you can go interview witnesses.” Spencer interrupted in a vaguely outraged tone.

“That’s because I know how much you love the nitty gritty details. It makes you happy to see all those little words on a page and I, being the good friend that I am, am delighted to provide you with that pleasure.”

“How do you do so well with women?” Spencer dodged the pencil that flew towards his face with a smirk.

“Ah, lovely day isn’t it?” The three profilers turned at the sound of Rossi’s sarcastic drawl and Spencer gave a small wave.

“You want my files, Rossi?” Morgan asked half-halfheartedly which earned him a smack from JJ.

“No thank you, I’ll just have to get my kicks some other way.” Rossi rifled through the pile of documents on Spencer’s desk. “Reid, if you need any help with-”

“Hey!” Morgan protested in an incredulous tone. “You just told _me_ no and now you’re offering him help? He can read ten entire files for every page that I get through.”

“That’s why I offered.” Rossi responded with a docile and slightly off-balance grin.

“David Rossi, you are a cruel man.” Morgan grumbled, fiddling with the edge of a file but not actually opening it. JJ just shook her head at the two older men while Spencer appeared to be doing his best to ignore all of them as he ran his finger down the middle of a page that was densely packed with minute, hand-written notes.

“Hey, when you interviewed family members, did anyone mention potential stalkers or difficult boyfriends?” Ross and Morgan paused their on-going argument for a moment as they considered Reid’s question.

“Mm, Della Martinez’s best friend was certain that this guy Della knew in high school was involved, but we checked him out and he’s got a steady girlfriend and is currently interning at a hospital. He’s on-call seven days a week and never missed a shift according to his supervisor.” JJ said as she paged through a list of the victims. “Other than that I can’t think of anything.”

“Nope.” Morgan agreed. “Nothing noteworthy.”

“Great.” Reid muttered, marking something on a several page long list. JJ wandered over and peered over his shoulder, reading through the current page of his messy writing.

“Wow, you’ve even cross-referenced their political views?” Reid shrugged.

“They most likely have something in common and we’ve seen some of the insane things people will do in the name of their beliefs.” Reid paused for a moment, deflating slightly as he spoke again. “Unfortunately most of them weren’t particularly in favor of any singular party and several weren’t even registered to vote which is appalling.”

“Uh-huh.” Morgan said, forestalling whatever views Reid might decide to share concerning not using one’s privilege to vote. “What else you got?”

“It has to be something either connected to their work or school. I mean, those are the strongest links between all fifteen victims. There has to be some connection. We know the unsub isn’t racially or religiously motivated since he targets a diverse group of women.” JJ gave Spencer a sympathetic pat as his voice turned decidedly frustrated. He smiled in return, appreciating her attention and feeling not particularly guilty for it, his smile morphing into a wide, tooth-filled grin when Morgan rolled his eyes.

“What about where they were going to college?” Reid asked, flipping a couple pages. “I have Colleen Breemer and…Marcia Dodson as transferring to IU next semester.”

“Yeah, the really short one uh–” Morgan snapped his fingers several times as though to jog his memory “Uh, Amanda Jankowski, her mother said she was really excited because she was going to move next year. She said Amanda really wanted to go to a real college.” Reid sat up a little straighter.

“JJ, what about you?” Spencer asked, trying to contain the excitement he felt at the possibility of a new lead. He’d been through this particular process at least a hundred different times during this case and it wouldn’t due to get his hopes up once again, if it turned out to be nothing of consequence.

“I think a couple parents mentioned something about their daughters moving out but I don’t believe they gave an exact location.” Spencer was practically vibrating now, his hands moving in fast, jerky moves.

“That’s it!” He said excitedly. “Morgan and JJ can you call them back and find out exactly where and when the victims were going and how far they were in the transfer process?” Spencer could hear the words tumbling from his mouth so fast they were almost unintelligible, but couldn’t force himself to slow down. “I’ll call the rest of the families.”

“Ok.” JJ said slowly as Reid scrambled to his feet, grabbed the stack of files, shoving a few into her and Morgan’s hands and practically ran from the room.

***

Two hours later Reid slouched out of a conference room with several new sheets of notes, the beginnings of a headache and an increasing thrum of hope running through his body. He’d called the friends and family members of ten victims, finding out that eight of them were in the process of transferring to IU and made it so far as sending in their applications. Next he planned on checking in with Morgan and JJ and see what they found although it was more of a formality at this point. As far as Spencer was concerned this was a solid lead and very likely connected each of the young women. The possibility of finally closing this case was making him positively giddy.

He saw JJ come from a room farther up the hall and ran after the blonde agent, his hair flopping with his movement and making him bear a slight resemblance to a very overgrown dog.

“JJ, what did they say?” He asked, his words coming out slightly breathless from the sudden exertion.

“Hey, take it easy Spence.” She joked, holding a hand out as he halted beside her. “Soon Starbucks is going to take out insurance on you if you don’t tone down on the coffee.” Reid rewarded her with a brief eye roll.

“I’ve only had four cups today. Did you find out anything new?”

“Both Jenna Connolly and Elizabeth Britzten’s parents confirmed that they were planning to transfer to IU next semester. Elizabeth sent in her application and even spoke with a counselor on campus.” They rounded a corner, heading back into the bullpen.

“That’s great, thanks JJ! Morgan!” The older agent looked up in surprise at Reid’s unusually demanding tone.

“What’s up, Pretty Boy?”

“Did you call yet?” Reid asked impatiently.

“Yes and you were right. All three were transfer students although they hadn’t been accepted yet.”

“Ok, I’m calling Garcia.” Reid said as he pulled out his cell and punched in the analyst’s number.

“Tell me your desire, I’m her to please.” Penelope answered in a faux sultry tone.

“Hey Garcia.”

“Reid, lovely to hear from you this afternoon. What can my magic fingers do for you?”

“We think the victims were transferring to Indiana University. Can you check the school’s database for applications?”

“Give me one minute. Are you looking for a particular application? Garcia asked, her voice interspersed with the sound of her fingers clicking against her keyboard.

“Transfer applications, I need to know who had access to them.” Reid willed himself to keep his voice calm.

“Ok, it looks like Monica, Erin and Gabriella do not have applications…actually none of them do at least not in an online database.” Reid frowned.

“There aren’t any applications at all?” JJ asked, looking just as confused as Reid. “Their parents were pretty insistent that they sent them.”

“Actually there is the possibility that they either haven’t made it online yet or the university doesn’t keep online documents.” Reid said, although he found it odd that such a large university would still be keeping paper copies.

“I’ll contact the admittance office.” JJ offered and Reid nodded his head in thanks. “Someone there should have access to any applications.”

 

***

“Ok, Reid, this is getting a little weird. I spoke with three people at the admittance office, including the secretary, Linda Thorton, who handles all incoming applications, and they all say the office has not received a single application for any of the women.” JJ informed Reid, Rossi and Morgan as she reentered the bullpen.

“That’s impossible.” Reid exclaimed loudly as he stood up suddenly and toppled several old foam coffee cups. Several people around the office glanced at him and he quickly sank back down in his seat. “That’s impossible.” He repeated in a more subdued tone.

“The secretary was adamant. Applications for admittance and that includes transfers from another school, are submitted in paper form and directed to her. She scans them into the university database and they are only destroyed once they’ve been reviewed by the admittance committee. According to her, they never came in.”

“There must be someone else in the office who has access to them.”

“Well, if that’s true it’s going to be difficult to prove.”

“We should also consider the possibility that someone outside the office is involved. They could be interfering before the applications even make it to the university.” Rossi spoke up from where he’d been leaning against JJ’s desk.

“You think it could be someone from the post office?” Morgan asked.

“It’s possible.” Rossi said noncommittally.

“It is,” Reid said slowly, something teasing at the edge of his mind. He couldn’t explain why, but he knew there was something they’d missed at the admittance office. Maybe it was because he hadn’t spoken to the staff himself. They were missing an essential piece of evidence. “But we need to remember that the majority of the murders have occurred during the weekend.”

“That kind of puts a damper on the mail man theory. It would be a little difficult to finish your routes if your busy stealing applications and then dumping bodies across five different states.” Morgan said.  Spencer restlessly stood up and began pacing the small area between his and the other agents’ desks. He was becoming increasingly frustrated and as a byproduct, antsy. He found himself fidgeting with a pen and had to forcibly stop his hand from sliding through his hair for the fifth time in less than a minute.

He knew part of his frustration stemmed from his inability to fix whatever was going on with Erica. Even though she claimed it had nothing to do with him, a not so very small part of him begged to disagree. His momentary relief at knowing that she wasn’t angry with him or, heaven forbid, afraid, had long since disappeared. He was feeling a definite lack of control in both his personal and professional lives which was proving to be quite disconcerting.  

“Spencer, relax. We’ll get this guy.” He glanced at Rossi for a moment, his displeasure apparent at the older man’s attempts to calm him.

“Uh huh, when? After he’s killed another fifteen women? When the young women in five states don’t feel they can go out by themselves, or to college, or work because any man they meet might be the one who will wrap a rope around their throats?”

“Reid, we hit a dead end. It happens.” Morgan reassured his friend, his voice slow and soothing. “Why don’t you update Hotch and then maybe we can go to IU and see what’s going on there.” Reid nodded, feeling somewhat embarrassed now after his small outburst. Oddly enough though, he also felt just a tiny bit better for having voiced his thoughts.

“You just want to check out the football team.” Reid said, managing to inject just enough humor into his voice so the joke didn’t fall flat.

“Don’t forget about the cheerleaders.” JJ added and Morgan offered a rude hand gesture in return.

“Who’s going to see cheerleaders?” The three younger agents turned slightly at Hotch’s entrance while Rossi merely continued his uncaring slouch.

“Reid and Morgan.” Penelope offered helpfully, since no one had bothered to disconnect the call. Hotch raised a sardonic eyebrow.

“I’m going to see the admittance staff, I have no idea what Morgan’s doing.” Reid replied, easily throwing his friend to the wolves.

“Oh, you just wait ‘til all the little freshman are coming after you and you have no one to protect you from their shiny little nails.” Reid frowned as he contemplated the likelihood of being chased down by 18 year old girls. Based on past experience his chances didn’t look very good.

“Do I really want to know what’s going on?” Hotch asked, looking mildly amused but mostly tired.

“Morgan and Reid are going to IU.” JJ answered and Garcia made a disappointed sound behind them, having snuck upstairs while the rest of the team was bickering.

“JJ, why do you have to be so mature and responsible?” The blonde let a whine slip into her tone. Morgan reached out and Garcia happily sank into his arms, sighing as though she hadn’t seen him for several days.

“Garcia?” Penelope jerked away from Morgan, stuttering guiltily at Hotch.

“Oh, right…I just came to-Reid, I have a list of staff members you may want to speak with.”

“Thanks Garcia.” Reid answered quickly, turning to Hotch’s questioning gaze. “Hotch, we’ve confirmed with 13 of the victims’ families that they were transferring to IU but there aren’t records at the school. It would be understandable if maybe one or two somehow didn’t make it through to the admittance office, but 13? There’s no way that’s a coincidence. And the applications undoubtedly have a plethora of personal information. Applicants are often encouraged to list their job history, family members, hobbies, volunteer work. I mean the unsub practically had a roadmap to the victims whereabouts.” Hotch nodded calmly, wordlessly accepting Reid’s expertise on the matter.

“Good work Reid. Alright you and Morgan go, take the jet. Garcia dig into the staff’s financials and travelling habits and see if there’s anything unusual.” Garcia held up a finger as the team prepared to leave.

“Oh, and the lab got back to me. The DNA sample from Jennifer Morrison’s arm didn’t match anything on record.”

“Alright, thank you Garcia.” Hotch didn’t sound particularly surprised by this bit of news. “JJ, I need you to hold another press conference to air on all the major networks in the effected states.”

“Hotch, what do you want me to say?” JJ protested in an incredulous tone. Reid didn’t envy her the task and couldn’t blame her for objecting. He had participated in exactly one conference since the case started and nearly said something very nasty and highly inappropriate to a persistent journalist and the greater part of Illinois. Only JJ’s restraining hand kept him from angrily proclaiming where said journalist could stuff her fourth repetition of a rather irrelevent question.

“They need to be reassured. People are frightened for the young women in their communities and we are obligated to inform them of the facts.” JJ shook her head in a way that Reid had long come to associate with annoyance.

“Hotch, I have held three interstate conferences and after each one the media managed to completely misrepresent what I said and change the facts. I want women to be safe too, but having local news stations tell them that an FBI agency has confirmed the unsub is a misogynist and doesn’t believe that women should work or seek higher education, is not helpful.” Reid felt slightly envious at how easily JJ kept her voice controlled even while ranting. It was a skill he had yet to fully master.

“I know JJ. But a senator from Illinois is telling anyone who will listen that we aren’t keeping the public properly informed and the director is not pleased.” He sent the room a pointed look which Reid understood to mean that they were approaching thin ice. Senators making a lot of noise was never good for the agency. JJ held her hand up in a halting gesture.

“Fine, but if Darlene Harper, news anchor extraordinaire, starts telling people that the unsub hated his mother, it’s not my fault.”

“Mm, be glad you’re not talking to the governor of Iowa. He’s threatening to speak with the president if we don’t break this case soon.”

***

“Ok, who do you want to talk to first?” Morgan asked, looking through the list of people Garcia gave them.

“Definitely the secretary. There’s no way that thirteen applications could go missing without her knowing something about it.” Reid replied adamantly.

“Well, let the woman give her piece before you jump down her throat.” Morgan cautioned his friend, planting his forearm against the younger man’s chest and effectively stopping his movement. Reid turned with a vaguely surprised expression and glanced down at Morgan’s arm, raising an eyebrow. Spencer was not the most physical of people by any stretch of the imagination, but he gazed at the other agent until Morgan semi-guiltily took a step back.

“Right, because you’re always so level-headed when it comes to cases like these.” Morgan shrugged.

“Not denying that I don’t have a bit of a temper, but that’s why I have you around. To knock a little sense back into me when I start to go off the deep end and that’s what I’m doing for you.” Reid snorted inelegantly. Saying Morgan had a bit of a temper was almost as ludicrous as saying Spencer had a good memory.

“Anyway, just take it easy in there. It gets a little scary when you’re eyes get that glassy look and your hair flies all over.”

“You’re just jealous that my hair grows so easily.” Reid replied mildly while giving a brief glance to Morgan’s smoothly shaven head.

“Hey, now. We all know that I could have as much hair as want if I felt like.” Morgan returned immediately, happily returning to a lighter topic. Reid simply pressed his lips together, his expression doubtful. “This,” Morgan insisted as he pointed to his head. “Is by choice and for no other reason.”

“Uh-huh.” Spencer responded with a smile. The two agents made their way across the campus, cheerfully arguing the entire way.

  


	13. Missing Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,
> 
> Doing my best to work on this when I have spare time (lunch breaks). This chapter is rather long, at least by my writing standards and focuses on the case again. 
> 
> I know you all are wondering when does the romance start. Please be patient, it'll come. This isn't meant to be overly angsty but I also want it to reflect that the best things in life don't come easy and often not exactly as we expected. 
> 
> I enjoy making fun of Morgan way too much. 
> 
> Disclaimer: No, I don't own it. I don't even own access to all the episodes.
> 
> Is anyone else super excited about this coming week on CBS? Nah, didn't think so.

Linda Thornton was a large, imposing woman who at roughly six foot three seemed to tower over even Morgan. Her body was densely muscled and as Morgan whispered to Spencer rather unkindly, looked as though she once played for a professional football team. Spencer found it rather difficult to meet the formidable secretary’s gaze for the next few minutes after that especially when she grasped Morgan’s hand so firmly that he winced.

“Ah, so Ms.–” Spencer began after both he and Morgan introduced themselves.

“Mrs.” She interrupted harshly and almost automatically, as though she was quite used to this mistake and greatly disliked it.

“Ah, sorry. Mrs. Thornton, I understand that you are responsible for all incoming applications to the university.” Spencer’s words were slightly breathless as he attempted to keep up with the quick pace Linda set.

“Yes, as I told your secretary earlier I handle them personally.”

“Actually she’s a technical analyst.” Morgan inserted. Linda rolled her eyes, clearly announcing her view of technical analysts.

“In any case, there is nothing that I feel needs to be added to what I told her.”

“Be that as it may, Ma’am, we do have information that indicates a strong link between this school and an ongoing case.” Morgan said, sounding suitably professional although Spencer noted he had yet to remove his sunglasses and held himself defensively.

“Mrs. Thornton, we really need to figure out if someone is interfering with these applications. The lives of many young women may be at risk.” Spencer interjected quickly, seeing that the two had taken an instant dislike to one another. He thought it was likely due to their similar physical builds. It was never a good idea to have two alpha personalities in a room together. Spencer held back a snigger despite himself as he thought of how Morgan would react to the knowledge that he was being compared to a woman. Mrs. Thornton appeared mildly moved by Spencer’s impromptu speech and nodded eventually.

“I suppose I can give you a few minutes, what were those names again? I can see if there have been any correspondences between the victims and anyone in the office.” She smiled at Spencer then which was a truly terrifying experience. Her gaze was vaguely appreciative as she ran her eyes up and down the profiler’s body. Spencer chuckled nervously and brushed his hair back away from his eyes.

“Thank you, Mrs. Thornton.” He said, reluctantly following her towards a group of small offices. Beside him, he could almost feel Morgan’s suppressed laughter.

“Oh man, my day just got a whole lot better.” The older man chortled, quietly palming his cell phone. “I gotta tell JJ about this. Garcia will be so pissed she lost the pool.” Morgan shook his head and began tapping out a message.

“Shut up.” Spencer muttered.

“Gentleman.” The two men jumped and then hurried towards the waiting secretary, eager to stay on her good side. “Just take a seat here.” Linda continued, gesturing towards two chairs in front of desk. Spencer jumped again as he felt a hand firmly grasp his bicep and push him into the closer of the two chairs.

“You can sit here, Dr. Reid.” She murmured and if there was any doubt in Spencer’s mind about her disturbing attraction to him, she added. “You may call me Linda by the way.” Spencer merely nodded, images of being tackled to the ground stubbornly flitting their way through his mind.

Spencer slid a list of the victims’ names onto Linda’s desk, avoiding her gaze as much as possible. Morgan seemed perfectly at ease now, having forgotten his earlier dislike of the women. Spencer bitterly wished that Morgan would acquire his own bevy of unwanted women. Of course Morgan seemed to appreciate the attention and touching that made Spencer want to run in the opposite direction, so that particular line of thought would no doubt do him little good.

“No, Dr. Reid, I’m not finding any applications in our database and before you ask, if they did come in, I would have scanned them by now. Although it does look like we have a few emails between a member of the admittance office and two women that share names with those on this list. Whether or not they are the same I cannot tell you.”

“That’s very interesting Mrs. Thornton. Do you think you could tell me who corresponded with these women?”

“Of course.” She simpered and Spencer jumped back in his chair as she rose to her feet. He covered the moment with an awkward clearing of his throat. For a moment he was certain she was aiming to touch him again and preservation had won over politeness. Spencer decided that Linda was either vastly inobservant or couldn’t care less that he was not so quietly freaking out.

“Pretty Boy, I cannot wait until you are married.” Morgan said the second Linda was out of earshot. “Not only are you gonna have to fend off women everywhere you go but you’ll also have a wife to appease and explain why you’ve got lipstick on your collar to. And when you have kids, forget about it man. You’ll be lucky if you can make it out the door without getting mobbed.”

“Are you finished?” Reid asked quietly, doing he thought a remarkable job of resisting Morgan’s teasing.

“Oh, not by a long shot.” He answered gleefully. “You’ll be toting around grand babies when I start getting tired of telling everyone about you and the lovely Mrs. Thornton.” Morgan cackled mercilessly.

“You’re terrible.” Reid muttered.

“Poor Mr. Thornton.”

“Agent Morgan.” This time it was Derek who jerked out of his chair at Linda Thornton’s unexpected and commanding tone. “And Dr. Reid.” She smirked at Morgan’s floundering attempts to keep him and the chair upright. Spencer had the sudden suspicion that she knew exactly how uncomfortable she was making him and was enjoying herself immensely. 

“Adrian Padilla was in contact with Colleen Breemer and Amanda Touts. Amanda seemed concerned about her grade point average and possible financial aid.”

“We’ll need our technical analyst, Garcia, to take a look at those.” Reid said. “And we also need to speak with everyone in your office.”

“I can arrange for you to speak with the secretarial staff but you’ll have to speak personally with the administrative staff. And we’ve had a rather bad bout of the flu going around, undoubtedly a lack of vitamins and healthy diet, so a good number of people are out for the day.” She smiled sweetly, or at least Spencer thought that was her intent, and handed the men a copy of the administration staff and a map.

***

Two days later a pair of exhausted profilers stumbled their way into the BAU headquarters and headed for their desks, where they quickly slumped bonelessly into their seats.

“I am never setting foot on another college campus.” Morgan vowed, his words only slightly lessened by their slurred quality. “I swear kids were never that obnoxious when I was growing up.”

“Next you’re going to be talking about how easy kids have it these days and your long, hard winters uphill.” JJ cut in dryly as she sank into her own seat. Morgan pointed a slightly off-center finger at her.

“You just wait ‘til Henry comes home one day saying things you never imagined would come outta his sweet little face and then we’ll see who’s laughing.”

“Henry is far too sweet to do anything that would upset either of his parents.” Garcia inserted, announcing herself with the usual assortment of jingles and clicks created by several long strands of glass beads and bordering on suicidal spiked heels.

“Morning, Baby Girl.”

“Oh, My Love Muffin,” she crooned. “What’s the matter?”

“Morgan didn’t find the cheerleaders quite as exciting as he thought he would.” Spencer answered, smiling beatifically at his friend as they both recalled the older man’s encounter with, perhaps not a group of cheerleaders but in any case, a very loud and persistent group of college girls.

“There so…whiny and screechy.” Morgan moaned, a whine slipping into his own voice. “ _OMG, Mary did you see him? He was like totally HOT.”_ The other three agents snorted at his less that flattering, but in Spencer’s opinion quite accurate, impersonation of the three barely drinking aged girls.

“Incidentally, what exactly is a body shot?” Reid’s question was met with a moment of silence and then quickly followed by several huffs of shocked laughter.

“What did you two get up to?” JJ asked. “Is Hotch gonna get an outraged call from the dean?” Morgan gave her a rather pathetic looking finger while Reid merely looked confused.

“I’m of the understanding that it’s something sexual in nature.” He offered helpfully. JJ just shook her head, looking simultaneously exasperated and affectionate.

“Oh Spence, you still manage to surprise me even after all this time.” Reid wasn’t sure if he should be flattered or insulted but settled on simple annoyance.

“That still doesn’t answer my question.” He persisted.

“Oh baby, I’m sure you’ll find out in good time.” Penelope assured him. “And maybe with the help of an understanding woman.” She added more quietly, which only started another round of laughing. Spencer was about to object again when he saw Hotch exit his office and head in the team’s direction. He saw the older agent’s eyes scan the team quickly and efficiently, quietly taking in their somewhat bedraggled appearances.

“Morgan and Reid.” He greeted, his raised brow turning it into a question.

“We questioned everyone who could have possibly had access to the applications and they all claim to have absolutely no knowledge or interest in the documents.” Reid answered quickly.

“We even questioned the janitorial staff. Nothing.” Morgan added.

“Well, not exactly nothing.” Spencer stressed. “There are five emails between two of the students and a member of the staff concerning the admittance and transfer which proves that they were planning to attend but little else. Unless we can disprove someone’s alibi we’re not much closer to finding him.” Hotch nodded sharply and turned towards the rest of the team. Spencer didn’t take it personally, knowing that Hotch wasn’t blaming either him or Morgan for not finding anything substantial. Blaming himself; however, that was another matter entirely.

“I spoke with the USPS and according to the dispatcher at the branch which services IU and the surrounding areas, none of their mail personnel have missed any routes without a suitable reason and the branch hasn’t received any complaints in regards to missing deliveries.” JJ said, lifting a sheet of paper with a list of names and contact information. “I just don’t see how any one of them could possibly make the trip to any of the victims’ hometowns or the dumpsites. Their routes are too long and include regular hours on Fridays and Saturdays.”

“Are there any part-time employees.” Spencer asked as he took the sheet of paper from JJ and quickly scanned the names.

“A few.” JJ shrugged, “But Garcia checked them out and there was nothing out of the ordinary.” She turned to the other blonde who confirmed it with a nod.

“JJ’s right. I looked into everyone at the admissions office and the post office and while some of them made trips to the states involved in the case, it either wasn’t at the right time or location. Anybody who took time off I either confirmed to be sick or on vacation. Most of them have families who further corroborated their alibies. Credit card usage and cell phone GPS show they weren’t anywhere near the victims.” She shrugged apologetically at Reid who nodded distractedly as he mentally scrolled through all the current evidence and tried to find any links they might have missed. His colleagues’ voices became muffled as he started to connect names and places like pieces of a puzzle and then quickly tore it apart and began all over again.

“Reid!” Spencer jerked and quickly refocused on Hotch, attempting to look as though he hadn’t just tuned out his boss’s voice.

“Sorry, uh, what were you saying?” Hotch smiled briefly before continuing.

“We got a new case in South Dakota. Since we have no significant leads in the current case, the director wants our team to handle this one.” Spencer saw each of the profiler’s faces reflect varying degrees of frustration which he gathered was fueled by a combination of not being able to close their current case and having to travel out of state once again.

“Garcia gather what you can on the victims. We’ll debrief in,” Hotch glanced at his watch, “Two hours. I need to meet with the director. Go home, take care of anything important.” He instructed the team who for the most part eagerly gathered up their belongings and headed for the elevator. Reid started to follow JJ but then stopped, calling to her that he had something important to finish up. Once the bullpen was sufficiently clear, he grabbed his cell and after a moment’s hesitation tapped a button.

He hadn’t spoken with Erica in over four days and it was even longer since he heard her voice. As he listened to the strident rings, he silently willed her to answer; he didn’t like the idea of leaving for an unknown amount of time without seeing Erica again.

“Hi, Spencer?” Reid felt his face spread into a wide grin, ridiculously happy at hearing her say his name.

“Hey, is this a bad time?” He asked, realizing belatedly that it was mid-afternoon and he was calling during school hours. “I didn’t interrupt a session, did I?”

“No, you’re fine. I’m just finishing up some paperwork.” She sounded distracted and Spencer wondered if he had indeed called at a bad time but forged ahead anyway.

“So, would you like to go for a cup of coffee?” Erica didn’t answer immediately and Spencer found himself speaking again just to break the silence. “You see, our just got a new case in South Dakota and we’re leaving in a couple hours. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone or if I’ll get a chance to call you and I just would really like to see you.” He finished in slightly creaking voice, his rant having decreased steadily in volume as he spoke.

“I suppose I could meet you in about half an hour.” She allowed after what felt like several minutes even though Spencer calculated that slightly less than ten seconds had passed. “I’ll see you at the usual place.” Erica added, hanging up before Spencer could say anything else.

***

Spencer arrived at the coffee shop with two minutes to spare. After speaking with Erica a small amount of panic set in as he realized that while he showered that morning, several hours had passed and his hair was looking a bit muppety and his clothes decidedly disheveled. The next ten minutes were spent rushing around the building in search of a comb and fresh shirt and washing his face in the bathroom sink. Fortunately his spare shirt was one that JJ had told him brought out his eyes and his submitted rather easily to the comb he found in Morgan’s desk drawer (something Spencer needed to remember to ask his friend about later).

 Erica waiting for him a few feet from the entrance and unconsciously his pace decreased and he found himself staring at her with an intensity he usually reserved for particularly dangerous criminals. Her head was currently bowed towards the ground, her gaze seemingly not focused on anything and she held her arms tightly folded against her chest. Spencer briefly wondered if her office was particularly cold as he noted that she was dressed in dark dress pants, a high-necked purple sweater that reached past her hips and a scarf that effectively obscured her chest and neck. Just looking at her made him feel over-heated but it didn’t stop the affectionate smile that spread across his face as he began moving towards her again.

“Hey.” He greeted softly. Erica turned and flashed him a brief smile that disappeared far too quickly in Spencer’s opinion. He leaned forward to ask what was wrong but was interrupted by an elderly couple stepping between them to enter the building. Erica’s smile was genuine this time as they followed the toddling couple into the caffeine scented air and overheard them gossiping loudly about a woman named Margaret.

They ordered their drinks quickly, Spencer offering to pay for Erica’s only to be turned down as usual, and headed for a secluded table at the back of the café.  

“So, have you made any progress with your case?” Erica asked quietly as they took their seats.

“Not as much as I would like, that’s why we’re taking on a new case.” Erica nodded, her expression troubled as she gazed unseeingly at the wall across from their table. Spencer ignored it as best he could, thinking of ways he could break the uncomfortable silence between them. There wasn’t the same tension as the past Saturday morning, but rather it felt as though a wall or fence had been erected between them.

“Erica, is everything alright?” Spencer asked hesitantly, unable to take the growing silence any longer. She jumped guiltily and pasted on a smile.

“I’m sorry, I was just…thinking about some things.” She explained, not bothering to elaborate. “Maybe you could tell me a bit more about the case you’re working on.” Erica offered after a moment. “I know I’m not a profiler but maybe talking about it with an outsider will give you a new perspective.” Spencer was not at all pleased with her attempt at deflection but decided he would approach the topic again when she was more at ease.

“Well, there are fifteen victims. As I mentioned before they each attended part-time college and had jobs as well. The first three were abducted and murdered over a month long period. Since then there the periods between each murder have been irregular but the number of victims increased. They are of varied races, religions, family–”

“Spencer.”

“I’m sorry,” He apologized immediately thinking that he’d said something disturbing. “I told you, you need to stop me when I–“

“No.” Erica interrupted again, her expression pained. “Spencer, that’s not–I thought that I could handle this, but I was wrong. I’m not–” She took a shuttering breath and started over again. “I need to take a step back for a while from this, to just go back to being friends for a little bit.” Spencer’s heart pounded painfully against his chest. Suddenly her clothing and posture made horribly perfect sense.

“Ok.” He whispered to keep his voice from shaking. “For how long?” Spencer asked, almost wishing she wouldn’t answer but desperately needing even the smallest amount of hope.

“I don’t know.”  


End file.
